thumb|300px|Map showing the west end of SR 1 in [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]]

State Route 1 (SR 1), known as the Memphis to Bristol Highway, is a mostly-unsigned state highway in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It stretches from the Arkansas state line at the Mississippi River in Memphis in the southwest corner of the state to the Virginia state line at Bristol in the northeast part. Most of the route travels concurrently with U.S. Route 70 (US 70) and US 11W. It is the longest numbered highway of any kind in the state of Tennessee. The route is signed as both a primary and secondary highway at different times throughout its designation.

In 2015, the Tennessee Department of Transportation erected signs along SR 1 showing motorists they are traveling on the Memphis to Bristol Highway, Tennessee's first state road. TDOT installed the signs at every county line while it celebrated its 100th anniversary.

Route description

Memphis area

SR 1 begins as a primary route on Interstate 55 (I-55) in the middle of the Memphis & Arkansas Bridge at the Arkansas–Tennessee state line. US 61, US 64, US 70, US 78, and US 79 come off the bridge alongside SR 1; US 61 soon turns south with SR 14 and US 78 continues along E.H. Crump Blvd with SR 4 heading eastward. The other three U.S. Highways and SR 1 travel along SR 4 northbound (on Danny Thomas Blvd). At SR 3 (Union Avenue), US 51 joins SR 1 and 4 while US 64/70/79 continue east on Union Avenue. At North Parkway, SR 4 continues along Danny Thomas Blvd/Thomas St with US 51 northbound, while SR 1 turns east alone onto North Parkway. However, US 64/US 70/US 79 soon rejoin SR 1 at SR 57. These four routes continue as Summer Avenue until exiting Memphis. The portions where SR 1 runs by itself are signed.

Between Memphis and Nashville

SR 1 is a primary route until it runs around Brownsville. After the junction of SR 76, SR 1 becomes a secondary route for a short time until it crosses SR 186.

See also

  • List of state routes in Tennessee
  • List of highways numbered 1

References

  1. Tennessee Department of Transportation (24 January 2003). "State Highway and Interstate List 2003".<!-- probably want to convert this to cite.php -->
  2. Tennessee Department of Transportation official 2020 Map