State Route 68 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
SR 68 mainline in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by TDOT | ||||
| Length | 106.89 mi[1] (172.02 km) | |||
| Existed | October 1, 1923[2]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |   SR 5 / SR 60 in Copperhill at Tennessee–Georgia state line | |||
| ||||
| North end |  US 127 in Crossville | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Tennessee | |||
| Counties | Polk, Monroe, McMinn, Meigs, Rhea, Cumberland | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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State Route 68 (SR 68) is a 106.89-mile-long (172.02 km) state highway in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee.
Route description
SR 68 begins in southeastern Tennessee, at an intersection with Georgia State Route 5 (SR 5) and SR 60 at the Tennessee–Georgia state line in Copperhill, Tennessee, and McCaysville, Georgia. It then goes north to Ducktown where it junctions with U.S. Route 64 (US 64) and US 74. The route continues north and enters the Cherokee National Forest and goes through a mostly rural area, then in Turtletown it turns east and junctions with SR 123. SR 68 then turns back north and continues through a sparsely populated area and crosses over the Hiwassee River. The route then becomes curvy and dangerous. It then enters Monroe County and goes through Coker Creek and then Tellico Plains and junctions with SR 165 (Cherohala Skyway). In Tellico Plains, SR 68 serves as the eastern terminus for SR 39; it then proceeds north to Madisonville where it meets US 411/SR 33. After this junction, the route then turns more northwesterly toward Sweetwater and passes The Lost Sea. In Sweetwater, it turns west and junctions with US 11 and Interstate 75 (I-75).
Just past the I-75 junction, the route enters McMinn County where there are no highway junctions. It then enters Meigs County and Ten Mile and junctions with SR 305, SR 58, and brief runs concurrently with SR 304. It then crosses Watts Bar Dam and the Tennessee River into Rhea County near the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant and continues west. The route then has a one-mile-long (1.6 km) concurrency with SR 302 and a 2.7-mile-long (4.3 km) concurrency with US 27/SR 29. US 27 and SR 68 go north to Spring City where SR 68 turns back west and US 27 goes north. Just after leaving Spring City, it turns back to north crosses over Waldens Ridge into Cumberland County where the route ends at a Y-intersection with US 127/SR 28 in Cumberland Homesteads near Crossville and Cumberland Mountain State Park.
History
Major intersections
| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk | Copperhill | 0.0 | 0.0 |  SR 5 south (Harpertown Road) / SR 60 south (Toccoa Avenue) – McCaysville, Mineral Bluff, Blue Ridge | Southern terminus; continuation beyond Georgia state line |
| Ducktown |   US 64 / US 74 (SR 40) – Cleveland, Murphy, NC, Ocoee River | Interchange | |||
| |     SR 123 east to NC 294 – Hiwassee Dam | Western terminus of SR 123 | |||
| Monroe | Tellico Plains |  SR 165 east (Cherohala Skyway) – Tellico Plains, Bald River Falls, Indian Boundary, Cherokee National Forest | Western terminus of SR 165 | ||
  SR 39 west (Mecca Pike) – Etowah, Englewood | Eastern terminus of SR 39 | ||||
| Madisonville |  US 411 (SR 33) – Englewood, Vonore | Interchange | |||
| Christianburg |  SR 307 south (Eastanaula Road) – Athens | Northern terminus of SR 307 | |||
| Sweetwater |  US 11 (Main Street/SR 2) – Downtown, Philadelphia, Loudon, Niota, Athens | ||||
 I-75 – Chattanooga, Knoxville | I-75 exit 60 | ||||
| Meigs | |  SR 305 south – Athens | Northern terminus of SR 305 | ||
| Ten Mile |  SR 58 – Decatur, Kingston | ||||
  SR 304 north – Ten Mile, Kingston | Southern end of SR 304 concurrency | ||||
| | SR 304 south – Decatur | Northern end of SR 304 concurrency | |||
| Tennessee River | Bridge over Watts Bar Dam | ||||
| Rhea | |  SR 302 south (Old Stage Road) | Southern end of SR 302 concurrency | ||
| | SR 302 north (New Lake Road) | Northern end of SR 302 concurrency | |||
| |  US 27 south (SR 29) – Dayton, Chattanooga | Southern end of US 27 / SR 29 concurrency | |||
| Spring City | US 27 north (SR 29) – Rockwood | Interchange; northern end of US 27 / SR 29 concurrency | |||
| Cumberland | Cumberland Homesteads | 106.89 | 172.02 | US 127 (SR 28) – Crossville, Jamestown, Pikeville, Cumberland Mountain State Park | Northern terminus |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also
References
- ↑ Google (July 11, 2014). "Tennessee State Route 68" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
- ↑ Highway Planning Survey Division (1925). Biennial Report of the Commissioner of the Department of Highways and Public Works State of Tennessee for the Years 1923 and 1924 (PDF) (Report). Nashville: Tennessee Department of Highways and Public Works. pp. 39–44. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
External links
Media related to Tennessee State Route 68 at Wikimedia Commons