Interstate 640
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I-640 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by TDOT | ||||
| Length | 10.04 mi[1] (16.16 km) | |||
| Existed | 1977 – present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |
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| East end |
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Interstate 640 (abbreviated I-640) is a bypass of Interstate 40 running north of Knoxville, Tennessee. The route serves as an alternative for traffic going east on Interstate 40 intending to turn northward on Interstate 75, which has greatly relieved congestion in downtown Knoxville.(citation needed)
Route description
I-640 begins at an interchange with I-40 and I-75, where I-75 continues onto I-640. Initially heading northwest, I-640 and I-75 turn northeast, intersecting SR 62 before coming to an interchange with SR 9, US 25W, I-75, and I-275. As the freeway continues, US 25W and SR 9 run concurrently for the rest of its length. I-640 interchanges with SR 33 and US 441, as well as one providing access to the Knoxville Center Mall. The highway then turns south and terminates at I-40.[2]
History
Construction began on the route in October 1977. For many years only about a 2 miles (3.2 km) segment between State Route 33 (Broadway/Old Broadway exit) and U.S. Highway 25W (Clinton Highway exit) was open. Then in April 1982, the road was finally completed in anticipation of the traffic which was to be generated by the 1982 World's Fair. Then Governor of Tennessee, now United States Senator Lamar Alexander officially opened the road by walking its entire length dressed in his famous red plaid shirts that he famously wore during his both of his campaigns for Governor of Tennessee. I-75 originally ran concurrent with I-40 to downtown Knoxville, but was moved out of the section between I-40 and I-75 through Sharp's Gap to the approximately 2.5 mile section of I-640 between I-40 and I-75 in 1982.[3] This section is only signed as I-640, and the exits on this section follow I-640 numbering. In May 2008, a complete redesign near I-40 east of downtown added lanes, reconfigured exits, and improved safety closed that section of I-40 for 13 months. The road construction project was officially called Smart Fix 40, and the Tennessee Department of Transportation closed that section of I-40 until June 2009, when it was officially completed 18 days early. During the course of the Smart Fix 40 construction project, the Tennessee Department of Transportation used I-640 as the official detour route for I-40 traffic during the time in which I-40 was closed for the reconfiguration.[4]
Exit list
The entire route is in Knoxville, Knox County.
| mi | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes | |
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| 0.0 | 0.0 | — | | Western terminus; westbound exit and eastbound entrance; western end of I-75 concurrency; I-40/I-75 exit 385 | |
| 0.6 | 0.97 | 1 |  | ||
| 2.3 | 3.7 | 3B | | Eastbound exit only | |
| 3 | 4.8 | 3B | | Westbound exit and both entrances; western end of US 25W/SR 9 concurrency | |
| 2.9 | 4.7 | 3 | | Eastern end of I-75 concurrency; northern terminus of I-275; signed as exit 3A westbound | |
| 5.4 | 8.7 | 6 | | Old Broadway signed eastbound only | |
| 7.6 | 12.2 | 8 | Washington Pike / Mall Road South / Mall Road North / Millertown Pike | ||
| 10.1 | 16.3 | — | | Eastern terminus; eastbound exit and westbound entrance; eastern end of US 25W/SR 9 concurrency; US 25W/SR 9 unsigned (follows I-40 east); I-40 exit 393 | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
Route map:
- ↑ "Route Log - Auxiliary Routes of the Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways - Table 2". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
- ↑ Google (December 21, 2013). "I-640 Tennessee" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
- ↑ Jacobs, Don (November 28, 2006). "Work begins today on $20M update for Interstate 275". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. 7B.
- ↑ "TDOT's SmartFIX40 Project Wins America's Transportation Award". tn.gov.
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