Tennessee State Route 61
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State Route 61 (SR 61) is a west-to-east highway in the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
that is . State Route 61 begins in Roane County, and it ends in Grainger County.


Route description


Roane County

SR 61 begins in Roane County as a primary highway in the city of Rockwood at an intersection with US 27/ US 70/ SR 29/ SR 1. It begins concurrent with US 27 as its companion route though it is signed, except on I-40. They then proceed north as a four-lane divided highway and have a junction with the short SR 382, providing access to
Roane State Community College Roane State logo Roane State Community College is a public community college in eastern Tennessee with its main campus in Harriman. It was authorized by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1969, along with two other community colleges, and operat ...
, and cross into Harriman. US 27/SR 61 continue north to have an interchange with
I-40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...
(Exit 347), with only US 27 signed, and enter the "South Harriman" neighborhood. US 27/SR 61 continue through Harriman's main business district and again intersect and have an unsigned concurrency with SR 29, US 27's main companion route. They then cross the
Emory River The Emory River is a river draining a portion of Tennessee's Cumberland Plateau. It flows for just over from its source near Frozen Head State Park to its mouth along the Clinch River at Kingston, Tennessee. Hydrography The Emory River rises on ...
and enter downtown Harriman as Roane Street. They continue through downtown, still as a four-lane, and junction with SR 328, a loop route through the town of Oakdale. The highway leaves downtown, as a four-lane divide highway, and go by the Harriman campus of Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) and exit Harriman. US 27 and SR 61 then split at an interchange, with SR 29 following US 27 as its companion route. SR 61 turns east alone as two-lane rural highway. SR 61 then intersects SR 327 in the community of Blair. It then enters the community of Kellytown before entering the city of Oliver Springs. The highway widens into a four-lane highway with a center turn lane. SR 61 then comes to an intersection with SR 62, which is the main highway in and out of Morgan County, and SR 330, which provides access to downtown, and becomes concurrent with SR 62 north of downtown. SR 61/SR 62 then bypass downtown to the north and east as a four-lane divided highway with partially controlled access and crosses into Anderson County.


Anderson County

They then have a partial interchange with Main Street and enter Oliver Springs' main business district. Continuing southeast, they then separate with SR 62 heading into Oak Ridge and SR 61 becoming a secondary highway as it goes toward Clinton as a two-lane rural highway. It goes through some farmland in the communities of
Batley Batley is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. Batley lies south-west of Leeds, north-west of Wakefield and Dewsbury, south-east of Bradford and north-east of Huddersfield. Batley is part of the ...
and Marlow on a nearly straightaway before becoming slightly curvy before coming to an intersection with SR 95. It then turns east again, becoming a primary highway, as a four-lane undivided highway running along the banks of the
Clinch River The Clinch River is a river that flows southwest for more than through the Great Appalachian Valley in the U.S. states of Virginia and Tennessee, gathering various tributaries, including the Powell River, before joining the Tennessee River in Ki ...
. SR 61 then enters the city of Clinton and junctions with US 25W/ SR 9. The highway continues on through downtown and becomes a four-lane divided highway and crosses the Clinch River. SR 61 now has an interchange with
I-75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from St ...
(Exit 122), leaving Clinton and becoming a secondary highway. It then passes through the community of
Bethel Bethel ( he, בֵּית אֵל, translit=Bēṯ 'Ēl, "House of El" or "House of God",Bleeker and Widegren, 1988, p. 257. also transliterated ''Beth El'', ''Beth-El'', ''Beit El''; el, Βαιθήλ; la, Bethel) was an ancient Israelite sanct ...
, where it passes by the
Museum of Appalachia The Museum of Appalachia, located in Norris, Tennessee, north of Knoxville, is a living history museum that interprets the pioneer and early 20th-century period of the Southern Appalachian region of the United States. Recently named an Affili ...
, before entering Norris and having an intersection and short concurrency with US 441 / SR 71. The highway now leaves Norris and becomes a two-lane rural highway. SR 61 then goes through the community of Andersonville before becoming extremely curvy and narrow, and enters Union County.


Union County

It then runs alongside Norris Lake for a few miles and passes Big Ridge State Park before intersecting with SR 170 in New Loyston. The highway junctions and becomes concurrent with SR 33 in
Paulette Paulette may refer to: *Paulette (name), French feminine given name *Paulette (tax) * Paulette Caveat - a caveat filed in 1973 by a group of Dene chiefs at the land titles office in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories to gain a legal interest in 40 ...
and the two highways enter Maynardville as a two-lane rural highway. In Maynardville, it becomes a four-lane undivided highway and intersects with SR 144. They then leave Maynardville and revert to a two-lane rural highway. SR 33 and SR 61 then separate and SR 61 becomes curvy once again and intersects SR 370 before entering Luttrell and having an intersection and short concurrency with SR 131.


Knox and Grainger Counties

It then shortly crosses into Knox County and intersects with SR 331 near Corryton before crossing into Grainger County. The highway then enters Blaine and comes to an end at an intersection with US 11W / SR 1, ending as a secondary highway.


Harvey H. Hannah Memorial Highway

Along the highway from Harriman to Oliver Springs, Highway 61 is called "The Harvey H. Hannah Highway". Harvey H. Hannah of Oliver Springs was the Tennessee Chairman of the State Railroad and Public Utilities Commission for 30 years. He served in the Spanish–American War, becoming colonel of the 4th Tennessee Volunteers. He also became a military governor of a Cuban province.
Cordell Hull Cordell Hull (October 2, 1871July 23, 1955) was an American politician from Tennessee and the longest-serving U.S. Secretary of State, holding the position for 11 years (1933–1944) in the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt ...
, who became United States Secretary of State, served as a captain under Hannah. Besides being a lawyer, military officer and politician, he was well known as a great orator. He served as Adjutant General under two Tennessee governors from 1903 to 1907. This was where he acquired the title "General". In 1922, General Hannah was a candidate for governor in the Democratic primary but was defeated by Austin Peay, who became governor. On November 8, 1936, Hannah died from a throat condition. Governor Hill McAlister visited Hannah before his death and asked, "Harvey, is there anything that I can do for you?" He replied, "Hill, I know that money is hard to get, but I hope that you will find enough state money to finish the Oliver Springs-Harriman highway." The Governor obtained the money, and the highway was named in Hannah's honor. Hannah is buried in the Oliver Springs Cemetery and his tombstone is said to be the tallest monument in the Oliver Springs area.


Major intersections


See also

*
List of Tennessee state highways A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...


References

*Tennessee Department of Transportation (24 January 2003). "State Highway and Interstate List 2003".


External links


Tennessee Department of Transportation
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150615112524/http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/ , date=2015-06-15 061 Transportation in Roane County, Tennessee Transportation in Anderson County, Tennessee Transportation in Union County, Tennessee Transportation in Knox County, Tennessee Transportation in Grainger County, Tennessee Oak Ridge, Tennessee