Interstate 275 (Tennessee)

Interstate 275 (I-275) is an Interstate Highway in Tennessee that serves Knoxville by connecting the downtown with I-75/I-640/US 25W. Measuring 2.98 miles (4.80 km) in length,[1] the northern terminus is the junction with I-75/I-640/US 25W and the southern terminus is I-40.

Interstate 275
I-275 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-75
Maintained by TDOT
Length2.98 mi (4.80 km)
Existed1982–present
History1958-1982 (as a part of I-75)
Major junctions
South end I-40 in Knoxville
North end I-75 / I-640 / US 25W in Knoxville
Location
CountiesKnox
Highway system
← SR 274→ SR 275

Route description

I-275 begins at a complicated interchange with I-40 in downtown Knoxville. US 441 southbound (Henley Street), SR 62 (Western Avenue), and 11th Street are also directly accessible from I-275 southbound at this interchange, and northbound I-275 is directly accessible from US 441 northbound and SR 62 here. About 0.6 miles (0.97 km) north of this point, I-275 has an interchange with Baxter Avenue, and then Woodland Avenue about 0.35 miles (0.56 km) later. The route then curves sharply to the northwest, and then sharply to the northeast about 0.4 miles (0.64 km) later, and crosses a railroad before reaching an interchange with Heiskell Avenue about 0.6 miles (0.97 km) later. Passing through Sharp's Gap, a low point in Sharp's Ridge, I-275 reaches its northern terminus with I-75, I-640, and US 25W about 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) later. At this interchange, the route crosses I-640, and continues north as I-75. US 25W northbound is accessible from a flyover ramp that splits off from I-275 northbound about 0.1 miles (0.16 km) south of I-640.[2]

History

The freeway that is now I-275 was first planned in the 1940s as part of a series of freeways for the city of Knoxville, and was known initially as the North-South Expressway. The route was integrated into the interstate system as part of I-75, and the southern terminus was the end of a concurrency with I-40 and I-75. The route was renumbered I-275 in early 1982 when I-75 was re-routed onto I-640 to divert traffic from the downtown area. This was done in preparation for the 1982 World's Fair.

Work on most of the route began in March 1958, and the first section, located between I-40 and Baxter Avenue, opened on October 28, 1960, after several delays.[3][4] The final section, located between Oldham Avenue and Heiskell Avenue, opened on January 24, 1962.[5][6] A dedication ceremony for this section took place on February 9, 1962.[7][8]

Between December 1, 2006 and January 26, 2008, the existing cloverleaf exits (1A–B, 1C–D, 2A–B) were replaced with traditional diamond interchanges to add a continuous third lane in each direction. This was done to handle increased traffic flow for the shutdown of I-40 in downtown Knoxville that took place on May 1, 2008.[9] I-275 was the designated detour route for I-75 northbound traffic during the I-40 shutdown to avoid traffic congestion at the I-75/I-640/US 25W/I-275 junction as the ramp for I-75 northbound from I-640 eastbound is only one lane.[10]

Exit list

The entire route is in Knoxville, Knox County.

mikmExitDestinationsNotes
0.000.000B I-40 west to I-75 south – Nashville, ChattanoogaSouthbound beyond the 275/40 interchange exit ramps are for Henley St. (US 441) & Western Ave./Summit Hill Dr. (TN 62); I-40 exit 387A
0.000.000A I-40 east / US 441 south – AshevilleContinues as Henley St. (US 441) southbound beyond this exit and the following exit to TN 62 (Western Ave./Summit Hill Dr.); I-40 exit 388 eastbound; southern terminus
0.681.091ABaxter AvenueFormerly exits 1A-B
1.041.671BWest Woodland Avenue, West Oldham AvenueFormerly exits 1C-D
2.233.592Central Street, Heiskell AvenueFormerly exits 2A-B
2.974.783 I-75 south / I-640 / US 25W – Clinton, AshevilleNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
3.355.39— I-75 north – LexingtonNorthbound exit and southbound entrance; northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References
  1. "Interstate 275 - Tennessee". Interstate Guide. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  2. Long Range Planning Division Office of Data Visualization (2018). Knox County (PDF) (Map). Tennessee Department of Transportation.
  3. "First X way Link To Open Friday". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. October 26, 1960. p. 32. Retrieved November 28, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "X-way Link Open". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. October 29, 1960. p. 6. Retrieved 2020-11-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "North X-way Now Open to City Limits". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. January 24, 1962. p. 1. Retrieved 2020-11-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Traffic Starts on New Viaduct". The Knoxville Journal. January 25, 1962. p. 3. Retrieved 2020-11-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "North Expressway Open To Traffic". The Knoxville Journal. February 10, 1962. p. 11. Retrieved 2020-11-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "N. X-way Dedicated in Brief Ceremony". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. February 10, 1962. p. 9. Retrieved 2020-11-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. I-275/I-640 Improvements (TDOT)
  10. Jacobs, Don (November 28, 2006). "Work begins today on $20M update for Interstate 275". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. 7B.

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