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Interstate 24

Route map:
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Interstate 24 marker
Interstate 24
Map
I-24 highlighted in red
Route information
Length316.36 mi[1] (509.13 km)
ExistedAugust 14, 1957[2]–present
NHSEntire route
Major junctions
West end I-57 in Pulleys Mill, IL
Major intersections
East end I-75 / US 74 in East Ridge, TN
Location
CountryUnited States
States
Highway system
← IL 23IL→ US 24
← US 23KY→ US 25
← SR 23 TN → SR 24
← SR 23GA→ SR 24
← SR 408GA SR 409→ SR 410

Interstate 24 is a primary Interstate Highway in the Southeastern and Midwestern United States. The Interstate runs in a northwest–to–southeast alignment in the U.S. states of Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia, with more than half of the highway in Tennessee. It serves the cities of Chattanooga, Murfreesboro, Nashville, and Clarksville in Tennessee, and Paducah in Kentucky. In Tennessee, I-24 is a major truck route, and many of the urban segments suffer from severe congestion. Other segments pass through mountainous terrain with hazardous curves and steep grades, including the short segment in Georgia. In Kentucky and Illinois, I-24 is predominantly a rural route.

I-24 first appeared in early plans for the Interstate system as a freeway between Chattanooga and Nashville. After the system was authorized by the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, an effort began to extend the route west of Nashville to improve connectivity between the Southeast and Midwest, particularly St. Louis. An agreement on the extension's route was reached in 1963, and federal authorization was given in 1964. The original route of I-24 was completed in Tennessee in 1971, and the extension was finished in Kentucky in 1980. Since its completion, I-24 has seen many projects, including the proposed I-24 Southeast Choice Lanes, which is expected to be one of the most expensive highway construction projects ever.

Route description

[edit]
Lengths
 mi[1]km
IL 38.73 62.33
KY 93.37 150.26
TN[a] 180.16 289.94
GA 4.10 6.60
Total 316.36 509.13

Illinois

[edit]
The Interstate 24 Ohio River Bridge which carries I-24 between Illinois and Kentucky.

I-24 begins at an interchange with I-57 in the rural southern part of Illinois near the community of Pulleys Mill. I-55 connects to Chicago to the north and provides access to Memphis, Tennessee, to the south by way of I-55 in Missouri. Westbound motorists on I-24 bound for St. Louis are directed to take I-57 north to I-64. Traveling southeast, the Interstate passes through mostly farmland, woodlands, and floodplains before crossing the Ohio River into Kentucky near Metropolis on the Interstate 24 Ohio River Bridge.[3]

Kentucky

[edit]
I-24 near Eddyville.

I-24 passes through the Jackson Purchase region of the western part of Kentucky. It first passes through Paducah and has interchanges with multiple U.S. Routes. It then turns into a more east-west alignment before turning slightly north. I-24 then has a concurrency with I-69, where it crosses the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers in short succession north of Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. Turning southeast once again, I-24 passes through more rural areas, bypassing most cities and towns and providing access to cities and towns via U.S. and state highways. Passing southwest of Hopkinsville, the Interstate provides access to this city via a spur auxiliary route, I-169. It then enters Tennessee near Fort Campbell.[4]

Tennessee and Georgia

[edit]
I-24 in southeast Nashville.

More than half of I-24's length is in Tennessee, and it is a far more important highway there than it is in the other states through which it passes. I-24 enters Tennessee in the Middle region of the state in Clarksville, the state's fifth-largest city.[5] Bypassing most of Clarksville to the northwest, I-24 has a few major interchanges, and its traffic rapidly increases.[6] The Interstate then passes through a rural area in the Western Highland Rim with several steep grades before reaching Nashville, the state capital and largest city.[5] The stretch of I-24 between Clarksville and Nashville is reportedly one of the most heavily traveled highways in the United States with just two lanes in each direction, and is often criticized as outdated.[6][7] Near downtown Nashville, I-24 has brief concurrencies with I-65 and I-40, and also meets the western terminus of I-440. I-24 then passes through southeastern Nashville and additional suburbs with several urban interchanges, the last of which is Murfreesboro, Tennessee's sixth-largest city. In Murfreesboro, I-24 has an interchange with I-840, the outer partial beltway around Nashville.[5] The section of I-24 between downtown Nashville and Murfreesboro is widely considered the most congested stretch of highway in Tennessee, running through the most populated urban and suburban corridor in the state. This stretch features high-occupancy vehicle lanes (HOV lanes) and is where the I-24 Southeast Choice Lanes, the first express toll lanes in Tennessee, are planned.[8][9]

Leaving Murfreesboro, I-24 enters a rural area in the Nashville Basin and features a mostly straight alignment. It then gradually ascends onto the Eastern Highland Rim and passes through Manchester and the Arnold Air Force Base. It then crosses over the Cumberland Plateau on a stretch known as Monteagle Mountain, where it also enters East Tennessee.[5] Both sides of the plateau feature steep grades and sharp curves, with the western descent reaching nearly 7%, one of the steepest slopes on the Interstate Highway System. This section is particularly hazardous for truckers.[10] I-24 then runs through a flat mountain valley before crossing the Nickajack Lake impoundment of the Tennessee River. It then meanders through a deep stream gorge in the Cumberland Plateau with several sharp curves before transitioning from Central to Eastern Time Zone and briefly dipping into Georgia.[5] Here, it has an interchange with the northern terminus of I-59.[11] I-24 then reemerges into Tennessee in Chattanooga, the state's fourth-largest city.[5] Due to sharp curves combined with heavy truck traffic, I-24 through Chattanooga is often congested.[12][13] The Interstate briefly runs on a narrow pass wedged between Lookout Mountain and the Tennessee River before entering downtown Chattanooga. Here, it has an interchange with US 27 and I-124, the latter of which is unsigned. I-24 has several interchanges with local roads and crosses Missionary Ridge on steep grades before reaching its eastern terminus with I-75 at the 75/24 Split interchange on the Chattanooga-East Ridge line.[5][14] Here, I-75 provides access to Atlanta to the southeast and Knoxville to the northeast.[5]

History

[edit]

A freeway between Nashville and Chattanooga was proposed by the federal government in the late 1930s and 1940s in plans for what became the Interstate Highway System. The route was first authorized by the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956.[15][16][17] Shortly thereafter, the states of Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, and Missouri began advocating for a western extension of I-24 to improve connectivity between the Southeastern U.S. and the Midwest, particularly St. Louis.[18][19][20] Over the next several years, many different routes were proposed, including alignments that continued to St. Louis. The states quarreled over the extension's route for several years, but finally reached an agreement on September 17, 1963.[21][22] The Bureau of Public Roads, the predecessor agency to the Federal Highway Administration, approved the extension on August 18, 1964.[23][24]

The first section of I-24, located in downtown Chattanooga, opened on December 23, 1958.[25][26][27] The last section between Nashville and Chattanooga opened on December 17, 1971, completing the original planned alignment of I-24.[28] In Illinois, the first section opened on January 15, 1974.[29] The first section in Kentucky, the Interstate 24 Ohio River Bridge, opened on October 18, 1974.[30] The final segment in Illinois opened on January 24, 1976.[31] The final segment of the extension in Tennessee opened on January 5, 1978.[32][33] I-24 was completed when the last segment of the extension, located in Kentucky, opened on May 23, 1980.[34][35]

Since its completion, I-24 has seen several expansions in urban areas. In the Nashville area, HOV lanes were added between 1998 and 2008.[36][37] The 75/24 Split junction in Chattanooga was reconstructed in multiple phases between 2019 and 2026.[38][39] A special project in Nashville called I-24 MOTION includes specialized cameras that traffic engineers and researchers use to study traffic congestion patterns.[40][41] The I-24 Southeast Choice Lanes, first authorized in 2023, are planned for construction on I-24 between downtown Nashville and Murfreesboro as Tennessee's first express toll lanes. At $9.2 billion, the project is expected to be one of the most expensive roadway infrastructure projects in history.[42][43]

Major intersections

[edit]
Illinois
US 45 near Vienna
US 45 in Metropolis
Kentucky
US 60 / I-24 BL in Paducah
US 45 / US 62 in Paducah
US 68 in Paducah
I-69 in Calvert City
US 62 / US 641 in Kuttawa
I-69 / Western Kentucky Parkway in Eddyville
US 68 in Cadiz
I-169 near Hopkinsville

 US 41 Alt. on the Oak Grove–Hopkinsville line
Tennessee and Georgia
US 79 in Clarksville, Tennessee
US 431 in Joelton, Tennessee
SR 155 in Nashville, Tennessee
I-65 in Nashville
US 431 in Nashville
US 31E in Nashville
US 41 (James Robertson Parkway) in Nashville
I-40 in Nashville
I-440 in Nashville
US 41 / US 70S in Nashville
SR 155 in Nashville
I-840 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee
US 41 in Manchester
US 64 in Pelham, Tennessee
US 41A in Monteagle
US 64 / US 72 in Kimball
I-59 near Wildwood, Georgia
US 41 / US 64 in Chattanooga, Tennessee
US 27 / I-124 in Chattanooga
US 11 / US 41 / US 64 in Chattanooga
US 41 / US 76 on the Chattanooga–East Ridge line

Auxiliary and business routes

[edit]


See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ I-24 in Tennessee consists of two segments with a combined length of 180.16 miles (289.94 km) that are separated by a 4.1 miles (6.6 km) segment in Georgia.

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 Starks, Edward (January 27, 2022). "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways". FHWA Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  2. ↑ Public Roads Administration (August 14, 1957). Official Route Numbering for the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways as Adopted by the American Association of State Highway Officials (Map). Washington, DC: Public Roads Administration. Retrieved June 14, 2018 – via Wikimedia Commons.
  3. ↑ DeLorme (2022). Illinois Atlas & Gazetteer (Map) (2022 ed.). 1 in:2.5 mi. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 978-1946494641.
  4. ↑ DeLorme (2024). Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer (Map) (2024 ed.). 1 in:2.5 mi. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 978-1946494704. {{cite map}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 DeLorme (2017). Tennessee Atlas & Gazetteer (Map) (2017 ed.). 1 in:2.5 mi. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 978-1946494047.
  6. 1 2 Tennessee Department of Transportation. "Transportation Data Management System". ms2soft.com. MS2. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ "High Occupancy Vehicle Lane". Tennessee Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  9. ↑ "I-24 Southeast Choice Lanes - Frequently Asked Questions" (PDF). Nashville: Tennessee Department of Transportation. August 21, 2026. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Monteagle Mountain Truck Crash". crashforensics.com. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  11. ↑ DeLorme (2010). Georgia Atlas & Gazetteer (Map) (2010 ed.). 1 in:2.5 mi. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 978-0899332536.
  12. ↑ Pare, Mike (February 15, 2015). "Forget trains. Chattanooga is No. 1 in the nation for truck traffic". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Greater Chattanooga's Costliest Freight Corridor". storymaps.arcgis.com. Chattanooga: THRIVE Regional Partnership. April 28, 2026. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  14. ↑ Jolley, Harmon (April 2, 2003). "Your Tax Dollars at Work: Ridge Cut". The Chattanoogan. Archived from the original on June 26, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  15. ↑ Bureau of Public Roads (April 27, 1939). Toll Roads and Free Roads. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. p. 109. OCLC 2843728. Retrieved February 29, 2024 – via Wikisource.
  16. ↑ Weingroff, Richard F. "Designating the Urban Interstates". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  17. ↑ Public Roads Administration (August 2, 1947). National System of Interstate Highways (Map). Scale not given. Washington, DC: Public Roads Administration. Retrieved September 4, 2010 – via Wikimedia Commons.
  18. ↑ Graham, Gene (June 25, 1961). "Between-Rivers Park Plan Enlivens Fuss Over I-24". The Nashville Tennessean. p. 1-B. Retrieved September 20, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "Metropolis Protests Change Of Interstate 24". The Daily Register. Harrisburg, Illinois. United Press International. p. 4. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
  20. ↑ Powell, Bill (March 4, 1974). "I-24 lag stalls interstate completion". The Courier-Journal. Louisville. p. B-11. Retrieved September 6, 2026.
  21. ↑ Laycook, Lois (September 18, 1963). "4 Governors Agree on I-24; Campbell, Paducah on Route". The Nashville Tennessean. pp. 1, 4. Retrieved March 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ Weingroff, Richard F. (April 10, 2019). "A Moment in Time: President John F. Kennedy Cuts a Ribbon". fhwa.dot.gov. Washington, D. C.: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  23. ↑ Laycook, Lois (August 19, 1964). "U.S. Approves I-24 to Illinois, Bridge in Dyer". The Nashville Tennessean. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved March 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ↑ "Eisenhower Interstate Highway System, Previous Facts of the Day". Federal Highway Administration. 2006. Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  25. ↑ "New Road Links Pushed in State". The Chattanooga Times. December 14, 1958. p. 10. Retrieved March 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ↑ Gibson, Springer (September 4, 1958). "23rd Street Freeway Work Ahead of Schedule". Chattanooga Daily Times. p. 3. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  27. ↑ Schneider, Fred (December 24, 1958). "Interstate Link On 23rd Opened". Chattanooga Daily Times. p. 3. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  28. ↑ Kollar, Robert (December 17, 1971). "It'll Be Clear Sailing to Chattanooga Now". The Nashville Tennessean. p. 21. Retrieved July 31, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ↑ "21-Mile Section of Interstate 24 Opened Tuesday by Gov. Walker". Hardin County Independent. Elizabethtown, Illinois. January 17, 1974. p. 1. Retrieved June 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ↑ "Traffic Flow Is Improved as I-24 Bridge in Operation". Sun-Democrat. Paducah, Kentucky. October 18, 1974. p. 1A. Retrieved June 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ↑ "Interstate 24 Opened at Pulleys Mill". Southern Illinoisan. Carbondale, Illinois. January 25, 1976. p. 1. Retrieved June 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ↑ "I-24 Opens". Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle. January 6, 1978. Retrieved April 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ↑ "Motorists Wait as Final Link of I-24 Opens". The Tennessean. Nashville. January 8, 1978. Retrieved April 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ↑ Bartleman, Bill (May 22, 1980). "At Last, an Unbroken I-24 from Here South". The Paducah Sun. pp. 1A, 12A. Retrieved June 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ↑ Powell, Bill (May 22, 1980). "After 23 Years, Final Link of I-24 Will Open Without Fanfare". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. pp. B1, B2. Retrieved June 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ↑ "New Lanes to Open on I-24" (Press release). Tennessee Department of Transportation. November 30, 1998. Archived from the original on August 24, 2000. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  37. ↑ "I-24 Widening Project in Murfreesboro Complete Five Months Early" (Press release). Tennessee Department of Transportation. January 28, 2008. Archived from the original on August 11, 2008. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  38. ↑ Benton, Ben (August 22, 2021). "Phase 1 of Split Project Crosses Finish Line, but Bottleneck from I-75 North to I-24 Will Linger". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Archived from the original on August 23, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  39. ↑ Benton, Ben (April 24, 2026). "Ribbon cut on $328M, two-phase I-24/I-75 split project". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  40. ↑ "I-24 MOTION". tn.gov. Nashville: Tennessee Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
  41. ↑ "CIRCLES Project Kicks Off Multi-Campus Traffic Smoothing Study". Institute of Transportation Studies. University of California, Berkeley. March 11, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
  42. ↑ Stockard, Sam (August 20, 2026). "Tennessee taps road-building group for $9B toll lanes project". Tennessee Lookout. Nashville. Retrieved August 22, 2026.
  43. ↑ Montesinos, Patsy (August 21, 2026). "Pay to skip traffic: Tennessee picks company to build I-24 choice lanes". WKRN-TV. Nashville. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
[edit]
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