State Route 50 (SR 50) is a west–to–east highway in

Middle Tennessee Middle Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of the U.S. state of Tennessee that composes roughly the central portion of the state. It is delineated according to state law as 41 of the state's 95 counties. Middle Tennessee contains the ...

. The road begins near

Only Only may refer to: Music Albums * ''Only'' (album), by Tommy Emmanuel, 2000 * ''The Only'', an EP by Dua Lipa, 2017 Songs * "Only" (Anthrax song), 1993 * "Only" (Nine Inch Nails song), 2005 * "Only" (Nicki Minaj song), 2014 * "The Only", by ...

and ends in Altamont. The current length is .

Route description

Hickman County

SR 50 begins as a 2-lane secondary highway in Hickman County at exit 148 on

I-40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...

near

as a continuation of Duck River Road. SR 50 travels southeast and crosses a bridge over the Duck River to enter Only and have an intersection with Dyer Road, which follows SR 50's former alignment through the community. SR 50 then passes through wooded areas as it bypasses Only to the south before having an intersection with SR 229, which provides access to the

Turney Center Industrial Complex The Turney Center Industrial Complex is a state prison in Only, Hickman County, Tennessee, owned and operated by the Tennessee Department of Correction. The facility opened in 1971. Turney also has a minimum-security Annex at 245 Carroll Road, ...

. SR 50 continues east to cross the Duck River again before paralleling it and having an intersection with SR 438. The highway then has two more crossings of the Duck river before passing near Grinder's Switch and entering Centerville. SR 50 then passes south of downtown as it then comes to an intersection with SR 48 and SR 100, where it becomes a primary highway as it turns south to have a short concurrency with them before leaving Centerville and continuing east, still paralleling the Duck River. for a short distance. The highway then passes south of Littlelot, where it has an intersection with SR 230 shortly before another bridge over the Duck River, an interchange with the Natchez Trace Parkway, and crossing into

Maury County Maury County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee, in the Middle Tennessee region. As of the 2020 census, the population was 100,974. Its county seat is Columbia. Maury County is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro ...

Maury County

SR 50 becomes Williamsport Pike as it turns southeast and has an intersection with SR 247 shortly before crossing another bridge over the Duck River and passing through Williamsport. The highway then continues through farmland to come to an interchange with

US 43 U.S. Route 43 (US 43) is a north–south United States Highway in the Southern states of Alabama and Tennessee. It travels from Prichard, Alabama, to Columbia, Tennessee. The highway's southern terminus is in Prichard, at an intersect ...

US 412 U.S. Route 412 is an east–west United States highway, first commissioned in 1982. U.S. 412 overlaps expressway-grade Cimarron Turnpike from Tulsa west to Interstate 35 and the Cherokee Turnpike from east of Chouteau, Oklahoma, to west of ...

/ SR 6 and entering Columbia. SR 50 roughly parallels the Duck River from the highway's beginning to Columbia; the highway crosses the river six separate times along this stretch. SR 50 enters Columbia from the northwest and has a short concurrency with US 412 Bus/ SR 99 (Hampshire Pike) before bypassing downtown to the south along James Campbell Boulevard, where it becomes a 4-lane divided highway and has an intersection with SR 243 (Trotwood Avenue). SR 50 then passes a major business district, where it has an intersection with SR 245 (Highland Avenue) before having an intersection with

US 31 U.S. Route 31 or U.S. Highway 31 (US 31) is a major north–south U.S. highway connecting southern Alabama to northern Michigan. Its southern terminus is at an intersection with US 90/ US 98 in Spanish Fort, Alabama. It ...

/ SR 7 (Carmack Boulevard). SR 50 then narrows to 2-lanes and has an intersection with Tom J Hitch Parkway before turning southeast and leaving Columbia, becoming New Lewisburg Highway. The highway now passes through farmland and has an intersection with SR 373 in the

Glendale Glendale is the anglicised version of the Gaelic Gleann Dail, which means ''valley of fertile, low-lying arable land''. It may refer to: Places Australia * Glendale, New South Wales ** Stockland Glendale, a shopping centre *Glendale, Queensland, ...

community before having an interchange with

I-65 Interstate 65 (I-65) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates ending in 5, it is a major crosscountry, north–south route, connecting between the Great Lakes and the Gulf ...

at exit 37, shortly before crossing into Marshall County. In places it follows the route of the former

Duck River Valley Narrow Gauge Railway The Duck River Valley Narrow Gauge Railway was a narrow gauge railway that connected the cities of Columbia, Lewisburg, and Fayetteville, Tennessee along the Duck River. Chartered on November 4, 1870, construction began from Columbia southwar ...

Marshall County

SR 50 becomes New Columbia Highway and continues southeast to enter Lewisburg at an intersection where it becomes concurrent with

US 431 U.S. Route 431 (US 431) is a spur of U.S. Route 31. It currently travels for approximately from US 231/Alabama State Route 210 and US 231 Business (US 231 Bus.) and US 431 Bus. in Dothan, Alabama, to Owensboro, ...

/ SR 106. The highway then becomes N Ellington Parkway as it has an intersection with

SR 417 The following highways are numbered 417: Canada * Manitoba Provincial Road 417 * Newfoundland and Labrador Route 417 * Ontario Highway 417 Costa Rica * National Route 417 Iceland * Route 417 Japan * Japan National Route 417 United States * ...

just before splitting off from US 431/SR 106 onto Franklin Avenue to enter downtown. SR 50 then comes to an intersection and becomes concurrent with US 31A Bus/ US 431 Bus (N 2nd Avenue). From here to Fayetteville, SR 50 is unsigned. They then go south through downtown before SR 50 and US 431 Bus split off from US 31A Bus and go east at another intersection with SR 373. They then leave downtown and come to an intersection with US 31A/US 431/ SR 11/SR 106/ SR 272 (N/S Ellington Parkway), where US 431 Bus and SR 106 end and SR 50 becomes concurrent with US 431. They then become E Commerce Street before leaving Lewisburg and going southeast as Fayetteville Highway. The highway then passes through

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

, where it has an intersection with SR 271, before continuing southeast through farmland to Petersburg, where it goes through town on Buchanan Street as it has a short concurrency with SR 129 and has an intersection with both SR 130 and SR 244 before leaving Petersburg and crossing into Lincoln County.

Lincoln County

US 431/SR 50 becomes Lewisburg Highway as it continues southeast through farmland to enter Fayetteville on the north side of town. It then passes through some neighborhoods as Bright Avenue before entering downtown Main Avenue N, where they come to an intersection with US 64/ SR 15 (College Street E), where SR 50 splits from US 431 to follow US 64/SR 15 east. Turning northeast, it becomes Mulberry Avenue as it leaves downtown and comes to an intersection with US 64 Bypass and

US 231 U.S. Route 231 (US 231) is a north-south U.S highway that is a parallel route of US 31. It runs for from St. John, Indiana, at US 41 to south of US 98 in downtown Panama City, Florida. One of its most notable landmarks is ...

/ SR 10, where it becomes Winchester Highway. They then widen to an undivided 4-lane highway and leave Fayetteville. On the eastern edge of town, SR 50 breaks away from US 64/SR 15, turns northeast, and becomes Lynchburg Highway. From here on, SR 50 is signed. SR 50 passes through the small town of

Mulberry ''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of diverse species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 identif ...

before crossing into Moore County.

Moore County

SR 50 then becomes Fayetteville Highway and passes through several miles of farmland before entering Lynchburg, where it has an intersection with SR 55, turns secondary, and follows Main Street for a short distance before turning onto Winchester Highway and leaving Lynchburg. SR 50 then winds its way through the countryside for the next few miles before crossing a bridge over the Elk River and entering Franklin County, passing just south of

Tims Ford Dam Tims Ford Lake is a reservoir run by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in southern middle Tennessee. The lake encompasses 10,700 acres (16.7 square miles) and approximately 250 miles of shoreline. The Tims Ford Dam was named from an early ...

Franklin County

SR 50 continues as Lynchburg Road as it makes its way east to Broadview, where it has intersections with SR 121 and SR 476 before crossing an arm of

Tims Ford Lake Tims Ford Lake is a reservoir run by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in southern middle Tennessee. The lake encompasses 10,700 acres (16.7 square miles) and approximately 250 miles of shoreline. The Tims Ford Dam was named from an early ...

to enter

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

. This section of SR 50 between Lynchburg and Winchester is popular with area motorcyclists and sports car drivers due to its sinuousness. In Winchester, SR 50 makes several turns and has several names (4th Avenue NW, Cedar Street, 2nd Avenue, High Street, where it has another intersection with SR 130, 1st Avenue, and College Street) until it joins US 41A/ SR 16 as

Dinah Shore Dinah Shore (born Frances Rose Shore; February 29, 1916 – February 24, 1994) was an American singer, actress, and television personality, and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1940s. She rose to prominence as a recording artist during ...

Boulevard in downtown. The highway then leaves downtown as it widens to an undivided 4-lane highway and crosses a bridge over an arm of Tims Ford Lake and heads northeast out of town. SR 50 then becomes primary as it splits from US 41A/SR 16 as W Main Street to enter and pass through the neighboring town of Decherd as a 2-lane. Continuing northeast, SR 50 leaves Decherd and becomes Old Alto Highway and then Warren Chapel Road before rejoining US 64 as Veterans Memorial Drive (4-lane divided highway; via an interchange). It then passes through the community of

Alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: ''altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In 4-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in choruses by ...

before crossing into Coffee County.

Coffee County

US 64 and SR 50 pass through the southeasternmost sliver of Coffee County, where it crosses the Elk River for a second time before crossing into Grundy County.

Grundy County

US 64 and SR 50 then come to an interchange with

I-24 Interstate 24 (I-24) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It runs diagonally from I-57, south of Marion, Illinois, to Chattanooga, Tennessee, at I-75. It travels through Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, ...

at exit 127, where SR 50 again splits from US 64 and becomes a secondary highway. SR 50 then enters Pelham to intersect

US 41 U.S. Route 41, also U.S. Highway 41 (US 41), is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part in southern Florida, from Naples to Miami, ...

/ SR 2 before crossing the Elk River for a third time. Continuing northeast, SR 50 becomes curvy as it climbs the

Eastern Highland Rim The Highland Rim is a geographic term for the area in Tennessee surrounding the Central Basin. Nashville is largely surrounded by higher terrain in all directions. Geologically, the Central Basin is a dome. The Highland Rim is a cuesta surrou ...

onto the Cumberland Plateau as Elkhead Road and then Pelham Road. Shortly after reaching the Plateau, it becomes concurrent with SR 108. They then east to enter Altamont where SR 50 meets its eastern terminus at SR 56 in downtown.

History

At one time, SR 50 had an alternate route, designated SR 50A. It has since been renumbered SR 373.

Junction list

References

{{Reflist 050 Transportation in Hickman County, Tennessee Transportation in Maury County, Tennessee Transportation in Marshall County, Tennessee Transportation in Moore County, Tennessee Transportation in Franklin County, Tennessee Transportation in Coffee County, Tennessee Transportation in Grundy County, Tennessee