State Route 160 (SR 160) is a state highway in

East Tennessee East Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. Geographically and socioculturally distinct, it comprises approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee. East Tennessee consists of 33 coun ...

that has both four-lane expressway and two-lane rural collector sections. It serves as an arterial

bypass route A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, to improve road safety and as replacement ...

US 11E U.S. Route 11E (US 11E) is a divided highway of US 11 in the U.S. states of Tennessee and Virginia. The United States Numbered Highway, which is complemented by US 11W to the north and west, runs from US 11, US ...

/ SR 34 in the city of Morristown in

Hamblen County Hamblen County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 64,499. Its county seat and only incorporated city is Morristown. Hamblen County is the core county of the Morristown, Tennessee Met ...

Route description

Hamblen County

SR 160 begins as a primary highway at an intersection with

/ SR 34 (W Andrew Johnson Highway) in a concurrency with SR 342 in Morristown, heading southeastward as a 4-lane divided highway, serving essentially as a southern bypass of Morristown. SR 342 (Alpha Valley Home Road) exits after SR 160 curves more eastwardly, and has an intersection with SR 66 (Merchants Greene Boulevard) shortly afterwards. SR 160 continues east to have an interchange with SR 343 (S Cumberland Street) before coming to an interchange with US 25E/ SR 32 (S Davy Crockett Parkway; Exit 1 on US 25E). SR 160 then leaves Morristown and has an intersection with SR 113 before coming to an interchange with

Interstate 81 Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40, I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee, Dandridge, Tennessee; its nort ...

(Exit 12 on I-81) in

Lowland Upland and lowland are conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level. In studies of the ecology of freshwater rivers, habitats are classified as upland or lowland. Definitions Upland and lowland are portions of a ...

, where it turns secondary, narrows to 2-lanes, and continues through farmland before crossing the

Nolichucky River The Nolichucky River is a river that flows through western North Carolina and East Tennessee in the southeastern United States. Traversing the Pisgah National Forest and the Cherokee National Forest in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the river's wate ...

into Cocke County.

Cocke County

SR 160 enters the mountains and passes by Briarwood Ranch Safari Park before passing through Bybee as it exits the mountains and re enters farmland. The highway then winds its way southeast along the banks of the

French Broad River The French Broad River is a river in the U.S. states of North Carolina and Tennessee. It flows from near the town of Rosman, North Carolina, Rosman in Transylvania County, North Carolina, into Tennessee, where its confluence with the Holston R ...

to enter Community

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay * Newport (Vietnam), a United States Army and Army of t ...

and come to an end at an intersection with

US 321 U.S. Route 321 (US 321) is a spur of U.S. Route 21. It runs for from Hardeeville, South Carolina to Lenoir City, Tennessee; with both serving as southern termini. It reaches its northernmost point at Elizabethton, Tennessee, just no ...

/ SR 35 east of downtown.

History

Prior to the extension of the highway, SR 160's original northern terminus was at TN State Route 343, also known as South Cumberland Street and Old US Highway 25E. Construction of the four-laned section began in 1990 and it took roughly two years to complete, passing through a number of hills and valleys, requiring extensive bridges. The first few miles of the highway took over part of Tennessee State Route 342. The four lane section goes from US 11E in Morristown to 1.7 miles south of Interstate 81.

Junction list

References

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160 Year 160 ( CLX) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known in Rome as the Year of the Consulship of Atilius and Vibius (or, less frequently, year 913 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 160 for this ...

Transportation in Hamblen County, Tennessee Transportation in Cocke County, Tennessee