Route information | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Maintained by TDOT | ||||
Length | 53.5 mi (86.1 km) | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | US 11E in Johnson City | |||
I-26 / US 19W / US 23 in Johnson City US 321 / SR 67 / SR 362 in Elizabethton US 19E / US 321 / SR 67 in Elizabethton US 421 / SR 133 in Shady Valley | ||||
North end | SR 91 near Damascus, Virginia at the TN-VA state line | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Tennessee | |||
Counties | Washington, Carter, Johnson | |||
Highway system | ||||
|
State Route 91 (SR 91) is a state highway in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Tennessee, in the area known as the Tri-Cities region. The route connects Johnson City with Damascus, Virginia via Elizabethton, Hunter, and Mountain City.
SR 91 begins at an intersection with US 11E/SR 34 in Johnson City. The first section of the road follows two one-way streets, namely Market Street (westbound traffic) and Main Street (eastbound traffic). It has an interchange with I-26/US 19W/US 23 before continuing along East Main Street and Elizabethton Highway as it leaves the city. [1]
In Elizabethton, it meets US 321/SR 67/SR 362, and runs concurrent with US 321 along West Elk Avenue and Broad Street through the city's downtown area. Along the way, it passes Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area. Farther into the city, the highway crosses the Doe River before reaching its US 19E/US 321/SR 67/SR 37 intersection. It then turns northward to run concurrent with these highways, crossing the Watauga River via the Gilbert Peters Bridge before splitting off again and continuing northeastward along Stony Creek Road. [1]
In northeastern Elizabethton, SR 91 passes Elizabethton Municipal Airport and the Elizabethton campus of Northeast State Community College. Beyond the community of Hunter, the highway enters the Cherokee National Forest as it continues northeastward through a broad valley between Holston Mountain to the north and the Iron Mountains to the south. Northeast of the Buladeen area, the highway ascends to over 3,500 feet (1,100 m) through a series of switchback curves as it passes over a cross ridge between Holston Mountain and the Irons, where it enters Johnson County. It then descends into the secluded Shady Valley. [1]
In Shady Valley, the route intersects US 421/SR 34/SR 133. US 421 continues northwestward to Bristol, while SR 133 continues northeastward toward Damascus, Virginia. SR 91 turns southeastward to run concurrent with US 421 and SR 34. The highway crosses the Iron Mountains at Sandy Gap, climbing to over 3,800 feet (1,200 m) before descending again to the outskirts of Mountain City. [1]
Near downtown Mountain City, SR 91 splits off from US 421/SR 34 to once again follow a northeastward track. It continues through a series of gradual ascents and descents across rugged terrain before reaching Laurel Bloomery in the northeastern part of the county. SR-91 meets its northern terminus at the Virginia state line, near Damascus, where the roadway continues as Virginia State Route 91 into Washington County, Virginia, and the Jefferson National Forest. [1]
County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Washington | Johnson City | 0.00 | 0.00 | US 11E (West Market Street / John Exum Parkway / SR 34) | Southern terminus |
SR 400 north (West Watauga Avenue) | Southern terminus of SR 400 | ||||
I-26 / US 23 (US 19W) – Kingsport, TRI Airport | I-26 exit 23 | ||||
Carter | Elizabethton | US 321 south / SR 67 west (Elk Avenue) – Johnson City | Southern end of US 321/SR 67 concurrency | ||
SR 362 south (Mary Patton Highway) | Northern terminus of SR 362 | ||||
SR 400 south (North Lynn Avenue) | Northern terminus of SR 400 | ||||
US 19E south / US 321 south / SR 67 east (Veterans Memorial Parkway / SR 37) – Hampton, Roan Mountain, Mountain City, Boone, NC, Roan Mountain State Park, Watauga Lake | Northern end of US 321/SR 67 concurrency, Southern end of US 19E/SR 37 concurrency | ||||
| US 19E north (SR 37) / Lovers Lane – Bluff City | Northern end of US 19E/SR 37 concurrency; interchange | |||
Johnson | Shady Valley | US 421 north (SR 34) / SR 133 north – Damascus, Bristol | southern end of US 421/SR 34 concurrency; Southern terminus of SR 133 | ||
Mountain City | US 421 south (SR 34) – Mountain City | Southern end of concurrency | |||
| 53.5 | 86.1 | SR 91 north (Mountain City Road) – Damascus, Abingdon, Saltville | Virginia state line | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
|
Elizabethton is a city in, and the county seat of Carter County, Tennessee, United States. Elizabethton is the historical site of the first independent American government located west of both the Eastern Continental Divide and the original Thirteen Colonies.
The Tri-Cities is the region comprising the cities of Kingsport, Johnson City, and Bristol and the surrounding smaller towns and communities in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. All three cities are located in Northeast Tennessee, while Bristol has a twin city of the same name in Virginia.
The Iron Mountains are a subrange of the Blue Ridge Mountains. These mountains are located around the common meeting point of Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina.
U.S. Route 321 (US 321) is a spur of U.S. Route 21. It runs for 516.9 miles (831.9 km) from Hardeeville, South Carolina to Lenoir City, Tennessee; with both serving as southern termini. It reaches its northernmost point at Elizabethton, Tennessee, just northeast of Johnson City. Because of its unusual "north–south–north" routing, U.S. Route 321 intersects both Interstate 40 and U.S. Route 70 three separate times. The highway serves different roles in each state: An alternate route to interstates in South Carolina, a major highway in North Carolina, and a scenic route in Tennessee.
U.S. Route 421 is a diagonal northwest–southeast United States Numbered Highway in the states of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana. The highway runs for 941 miles (1,514 km) from Fort Fisher, North Carolina, to US 20 in Michigan City, Indiana. Along its routing, US 421 serves several cities including Wilmington, North Carolina; Greensboro, North Carolina; Bristol, Tennessee and Virginia; Lexington, Kentucky; and Indianapolis, Indiana. US 421 is a spur route of US 21, which it meets west of Yadkinville, North Carolina.
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 120.94 miles (194.63 km) from US 11, US 11W, and US 70 in Knoxville, Tennessee, north and east to US 11, US 11W, US 19, and US 421 in Bristol, Virginia. US 11E connects Knoxville and the twin cities of Bristol, Virginia, and Bristol, Tennessee, with the East Tennessee communities of Morristown, Greeneville, and Johnson City. The U.S. Highway runs concurrently with US 70 and US 25W east of Knoxville, US 321 from Greeneville and Johnson City, and both US 19W and US 19 between Johnson City and Bristol. US 11E also has an unsigned concurrency with State Route 34 (SR 34) for almost all of its course in Tennessee.
Shady Valley is an unincorporated community in Johnson County in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is just outside Cherokee National Forest. Shady Valley is also the name of the valley in which the town is located, between Holston Mountain ""it is the twin city of Mountain City Tennessee, on the northwest, and the Iron Mountains to the southeast. At 2,785 feet, it is the second-highest community in Tennessee.
U.S. Route 421 (US 421) is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from Fort Fisher, North Carolina to Michigan City, Indiana. In Virginia, the U.S. Highway runs 69.23 miles (111.41 km) from the Tennessee state line between the twin cities of Bristol, Tennessee and Bristol, Virginia north and west to the Kentucky state line near St. Charles. Between its endpoints, US 421 has lengthy concurrencies with US 23 and US 58 during its course through Bristol, Weber City, Gate City, Duffield, and Pennington Gap in Southwest Virginia.
U.S. Route 23 is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from Jacksonville, Florida to Mackinaw City, Michigan. In Virginia, the U.S. Highway runs 60.80 miles (97.85 km) from the Tennessee state line near Weber City north to the Kentucky state line near Pound. US 23, which is known as Orby Cantrell Highway for most of its course, is a four-lane divided highway that follows Corridor B of the Appalachian Development Highway System through Southwest Virginia. The U.S. Highway serves as the main east–west highway of Scott County and the primary north–south highway of Wise County. US 23 runs concurrently with US 58 from Weber City to Duffield and with US 58 Alternate between Big Stone Gap and the independent city of Norton.
State Route 91 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs 55.12 miles (88.71 km) from the Tennessee state line near Damascus, where the highway continues as Tennessee State Route 91, north to U.S. Route 19 Business and US 460 Business at Frog Level. SR 91 connects Damascus in southeastern Washington County with the northeastern county town Glade Spring, where the highway has junctions with US 11 and Interstate 81 (I-81). The state highway also indirectly connects Saltville in northwestern Smyth County and Tazewell, the county seat of Tazewell County. SR 91 is the only primary state highway in Virginia with an unpaved section; this gravel section is in southern Tazewell County.
State Route 44 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It runs from US 11E/US 19W/SR 34 in Bluff City, just south of the split of US 19W and US 19E, northeast via Hickory Tree and Holston Valley to the Virginia state line, where it becomes Virginia State Route 75. The entire highway is located within Sullivan County.
Holston Mountain is a mountain ridge in Upper East Tennessee and southwest Virginia, in the United States. It is in the Blue Ridge Mountains part of the Appalachian Mountains. Holston Mountain is a very prominent ridge-type mountain in Tennessee's Ridge and Valley Region, about 28 miles (45 km) long, running from southwest to northeast, covering about 268 square miles (690 km2). Its highest summit is Holston High Point, on which a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aircraft navigational beacon is located, at an elevation of 4,280 feet (1,300 m) above mean sea level. The second and third highest points are Rye Patch Knob, at 4,260 feet (1,300 m) above mean sea level and Rich Knob, at 4,240 above mean sea level respectively. The fourth highest point is Holston High Knob where an old dismantled Cherokee National Forest fire tower marks the elevation at 4,136 feet (1,261 m) above mean sea level.
State Route 67 is a state-maintained highway in northeastern Tennessee, including a four-lane divided highway segments in both Washington County and Carter County, and part of a significant two-lane segment passing over the Butler Bridge some 80 feet (24 m) above the TVA Watauga Reservoir near Butler in Johnson County, Tennessee.
U.S. Route 19 (US 19) traverses approximately 11.8 miles (19.0 km) across the Tri-Cities area of East Tennessee. The highway begins at Bluff City, where the highway splits into US 19E and US 19W, which both head into North Carolina and rejoin to form US 19 in North Carolina. US 19's Tennessee portion ends at the Virginia state line at the twin cities of Bristol, Tennessee, and Bristol, Virginia.
U.S. Route 421 is a north–south United States highway that runs for 43.4 miles (69.8 km) in East Tennessee, connecting the cities of Mountain City and Bristol.
State Route 133 is a state route in northeastern Tennessee in Johnson County. It begins at Shady Valley and runs northward for about 11 miles (18 km) to the Tennessee–Virginia state border.
State Route 167 is a state highway in Johnson County, Tennessee and a spur route of Tennessee State Route 67.
State Route 400 (SR 400) is a state highway in Washington and Carter counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It connects the cities of Johnson City, Watauga and Elizabethton.
State Route 34 is a state highway located in East Tennessee. The 155.7-mile-long (250.6 km) route traverses several cities through eight counties from the Knoxville area to the North Carolina state line via Greeneville and Bristol. The portion from Carter to Bristol is concurrent with U.S. Route 11E (US 11E) while the portion from Bristol to North Carolina is concurrent with US 421.
State Route 362, also known as Mary Patton Highway and Gap Creek Road, is a 5.7-mile-long (9.2 km) north-south state highway in Carter County, Tennessee.