Tennessee State Route 386

State Route 386
Vietnam Veterans Boulevard
Route information
Maintained by TDOT
Length	17.3 mi (27.8 km)
Existed	1981–present
Major junctions
west end	I-65 in Nashville
	US 31E in Hendersonville SR 258 in Hendersonville SR 174 in Gallatin SR 109 in Gallatin SR 25 in Gallatin US 31E in Gallatin
east end	US 31E / SR 25 / SR 174 in Gallatin
Location
Counties	Davidson, Sumner
Highway system
Tennessee State Routes Interstate US State ← SR 385 SR 387 →

State Route 386 (SR 386) is a major east-west state route located in Davidson and Sumner Counties in Tennessee. It is known as Vietnam Veterans Boulevard, and serves as a bypass for U.S. Highway 31E (US 31E) and a connector to Hendersonville and Gallatin from Nashville. The entire route is a four-lane controlled-access highway.

Route description

SR 386 begins at a two-way "partial y" interchange with I-65 in Davidson County north of Nashville. The route is only accessible from I-65 northbound, and I-65 northbound is not directly accessible from SR 386 westbound. The route begins with a 70-mile-per-hour (115 km/h) speed limit in Davidson County, which reduces to 65 mph (105 km/h) upon entering Sumner County less than a mile later. About two miles later the route has a trumpet interchange with a connector to US 31E, signed as US 31E. The route then curves slightly to the southeast and enters the central part of Hendersonville and has interchanges with SR 258 (New Shackle Island Road), Indian Lake Boulevard, and Saundersville Road, before coming to a partial y interchange with US 31E in what was originally the eastern terminus of the route. As a result SR 386 curves sharply to the north, crossing US 31E and a CSX railroad again, and curves to the northeast again, and enters an mix of an urban and rural area, coming to an interchange with Big Station Camp Boulevard about 3 miles later. SR 386 then has an interchange with Green Lea Boulevard, and about 3/4 mile later it reaches an at-grade intersection with SR 174, where SR 386 becomes concurrent with SR 174 and the road becomes an undivided 4-lane highway. They continue east into Gallatin, and about a mile later connects to SR 109 via an interchange, where SR 386 becomes unsigned. SR 174/SR 385 then become 2-lanes as they pass through several neighborhoods before coming to a y-intersection and becoming concurrent with SR 25. They then continue to the western edge of downtown, where SR 386 comes to an at an intersection with US 31E/SR 6.

History

The route that is now SR 386 was originally proposed to provide more convenient means of transportation to Nashville for residents of Hendersonville, which had grown significantly in the 1960s and 1970s. The Hendersonville Transportation Study of 1978 listed 35 priority projects with the section through Hendersonville as number 1 and the connection to I-65 as number 2. A 1980 transportation study conducted for Nashville and Davidson County initiated the project.^[1]

Construction began on the first section, located in Hendersonville in 1981. The first section, located between New Shackle Island Road and US 31E, was completed in 1983, and the section between the US 31E connector and New Shackle Island Road was completed in 1987. This section was initially referred to as the Hendersonville Bypass. Construction began on the section between I-65 and the connector in 1989 and was completed in early 1991.^[1]

Beginning in early 2006, the highway was extended east to Gallatin after that city experienced further growth and transportation needs.^[2] This was completed in late 2007.

In 2010 TDOT began studying the possibility of extending the route further east into Gallatin.^[3] Also that year the speed limit was reduced from 70 to 65 mph in Sumner County and warning signs were installed around the curve near US 31E in an effort to improve safety on the highway that had developed a high rate of traffic accidents.^[4] Early into the route's history it began to experience congestion problems during rush hour. Future plans including widening the highway to six lanes.^[5]

Exit list

County	Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Davidson	Goodlettsville				I-65 south – Nashville	Southern terminus; northbound exit and southbound entrance; no direct access from southbound I-65 or to I-65 northbound; I-65 exit 95
				1	Conference Drive	Two southbound ramps
Sumner	Hendersonville			2	Center Point Road
				3	US 31E (SR 6) – Hendersonville
				6	SR 258 (New Shackle Island Road) – White House, Hendersonville
				7	Indian Lake Boulevard, Drakes Creek Road
				8	Saundersville Road
				9	US 31E (SR 6) – Gallatin	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
	Gallatin			12	Big Station Camp Boulevard
				14	Green Lea Boulevard
					SR 174 west (Long Hollow Pike) – Goodlettsville	Southern end of SR 147 concurrency; at-grade intersection with traffic signal; end of divided highway; SR 386 becomes unsigned
					SR 109 – Portland, Gallatin, Lebanon	At-grade intersection with traffic signal (via a diamond interchange on SR 109)
					SR 25 west – Springfield	Southern end of SR 25 concurrency; at-grade intersection
					US 31E (SR 6) / SR 25 east / SR 174 east	Northern end of SR 25 concurrency; northern end of SR 174 concurrency; northern terminus; at-grade intersection
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

References