Interstate 24

Interstate 24
Route information
Length:	316.36 mi[1] (509.13 km)
Major junctions
West end:	I-57 in Pulleys Mill, IL
	I-65 in Nashville, TN I-40 in Nashville, TN I‑59 in Wildwood, GA
East end:	I-75 in Chattanooga, TN
Location
States:	Illinois Kentucky Tennessee Georgia
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business ← I‑22 I‑25 →

Interstate 24 (I-24) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It runs diagonally from I-57 10 miles (16 km) south of Marion, Illinois, to Chattanooga, Tennessee, at I-75.^[2] As an even-numbered Interstate, it is signed as an east–west route, though the route follows a more southeast–northwest routing. Because the routing of I-24 is diagonal, the numbering is a bit unusual as it does not completely follow the Interstate Highway System numbering conventions.

I-24 makes up the majority of a high-traffic corridor between St. Louis, Missouri, and Atlanta. This corridor utilizes I-64 and I-57 northwest of I-24, and I-75 southeast of I-24.

Route description

Lengths

	mi[1]	km
Illinois	38.73	62.33
Kentucky	93.37	150.26
Tennessee	180.16	289.94
Georgia	4.10	6.60
Total	316.36	509.13

Illinois

I-24 begins at exit 44A on I-57 in southern Williamson County, near the community of Pulleys Mill.^[3] The highway heads southeast into rural Johnson County, bypassing Goreville to the east. It reaches an exit at Tunnel Hill Road, which serves Goreville and Tunnel Hill. The highway continues south to its next exit at U.S. Route 45 (US 45) north of Vienna. It reaches its next exit at Illinois Route 146 (IL 146) in eastern Vienna. I-24 heads southeast from Vienna into Massac County.^[4] Its first exit in Massac County is at Big Bay Road, which serves the communities of Big Bay and New Columbia. I-24 continues southward, bypassing the community of Round Knob before entering Metropolis. The highway meets US 45 again in Metropolis and passes west of Fort Massac State Park. It leaves Metropolis to the south by crossing the Interstate 24 Bridge over the Ohio River, continuing into Kentucky.^[5]

Kentucky

I-24 Bridge connects Illinois with Kentucky across the Ohio River

I-24 crosses into Kentucky on a bridge over the Ohio River, passing to the west of the city of Paducah and intersecting US 60, US 45, and US 62. The freeway then passes near the communities of Woodlawn-Oakdale and Reidland, and connects with US 68. East of this point, I-24 runs concurrently with I-69, intersecting US 62 and crossing the Tennessee River and the Cumberland River. The roadway travels along the north shore of the Cumberland River as I-69 splits off to the east just north of Mineral Mound State Park. I-24 continues east, away from the river, through farmland for several miles, passing well south of Hopkinsville. Near the Tennessee border, I-24 passes north of Fort Campbell before crossing into Tennessee.^[6]

I-69 runs |concurrently with I-24 for 17 miles (27 km) from the Purchase Parkway in Calvert City to the Western Kentucky Parkway near Eddyville. Additionally, the planned I-66 routing is proposed to run concurrently with I-24 in the Eddyville-to-Paducah corridor.

Tennessee

I-65 junction with I-24 in Nashville.

One of the more hazardous stretches of Interstate highway in the United States is located approximately 40 miles (64 km) west of Chattanooga on I-24 in Monteagle, where the highway crosses the Cumberland Plateau. Compared to grades elsewhere, Monteagle's 4–6% grade does not come close to the steepest (I-40 between Nashville and Knoxville features 5% grades in each direction as well as a 5% grade north of Nashville on I-24, near Joelton), but the slope is protracted over a distance of several miles. While all motorists need to exercise caution, truckers are particularly vexed by Monteagle, and many have died going through this area. As runaway trucks had been a regular and deadly occurrence, in part of the failure or inability of truckers to slow down to the 35 miles per hour (55 km/h) truck speed limit once on the slope, the eastbound lanes were rebuilt in the late 1980s. This work reduced the grade, widened the road, added a required stopping area with traffic lights for trucks prior to descending the mountain, and added two runaway truck ramps where a truck whose brakes have failed due to overheating can exit into a long pit full of loose gravel to safely stop. Owing to geography, these two ramps are on the left side of the grade. This stretch of highway inspired Johnny Cash to write a song about Monteagle Mountain. It is also mentioned in "The Legend", the introductory song for Smokey and the Bandit, which touts the protagonist's driving skill in having reportedly navigated his truck down the Monteagle Grade during a heavy rainstorm, despite an airbrake failure.

The Monteagle grade also has one of the three widest medians of any Interstate highway, with the others being I-8 through the In-Ko-Pah grade in California and I-84 through the Cabbage Hill grade east of Pendleton, Oregon. There is more than a mile between the eastbound and westbound lanes at one point. The eastbound lanes descend the mountain on one side of a ridge, while the westbound lanes ascend the other. Also of interest on Monteagle Mountain is the steep grade on I-24 north of Monteagle. This steep grade occurs for westbound traffic and features a sharp 45 mph (70 km/h) curve to the right while descending steeply at the same time. This downhill curve also features off-ramp approach style lane dividers, in order to slow both motorists and truckers. Also in Chattanooga is the "Ridge Cut", a one-quarter-mile (400 m) section of Missionary Ridge, between the 4th Avenue exit and the Germantown/Belvoir exit. Accidents and severe congestion are common here. I-124 is an occasional (currently unsigned) designation of a portion of the US 27 freeway, which runs as a spur into downtown Chattanooga and beyond.^[7]

Georgia

In the state of Georgia, I-24 runs for four miles (6.4 km), running along the southern flank of Raccoon Mountain and intersecting with I-59 before turning back north to the Tennessee River and around the northern flank of Lookout Mountain. The exits remain numbered according to Tennessee's mileposts. However, the mileposts are Georgia's mileposts. This segment is also officially State Route 409.

History

I-24 was part of the original Interstate Highway System plan enacted in 1956.^[8] The section of I-24 in Illinois was authorized for engineering by 1966 and authorized for construction by 1968.^[8][9] The highway opened to traffic by 1977.^[10]

On May 18, 2010, it was announced that a sinkhole was found in the eastbound lanes of I-24 in Grundy County, Tennessee, near the exit of Tennessee State Route 50. Tennessee Department of Transportation officials stated that hole was growing with traffic diverted onto the westbound lanes.^[11] However, emergency repairs commenced and was reopened several days later.^[12]

Exit list

State	County	Location	mi[13][14]	km	Exit[15]	Destinations	Notes
Illinois	Williamson	​	0.00	0.00	0	I-57 – Memphis, Chicago	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; western terminus and signed as exits 44A (south) and 44B (north); uses I-57's exit numbers
	Johnson	​	7.22	11.62	7	Tunnel Hill, Goreville
		​	13.64	21.95	14	US 45 – Vienna, Harrisburg
		Vienna	16.00	25.75	16	IL 146 – Vienna, Golconda
	Massac	​	26.55	42.73	27	New Columbia, Big Bay	No services
		Metropolis	37.16	59.80	37	US 45 – Metropolis, Brookport
Ohio River			38.73 0.000	62.33 0.000	Interstate 24 Bridge
Kentucky	McCracken	Paducah	2.958	4.760	3	KY 305 – Paducah
			4.328	6.965	4	I-24 Bus. east / US 60 – Paducah, Wickliffe – Kentucky Oaks Mall	Western terminus of I-24 Bus.
		Lone Oak	6.387– 6.865	10.279– 11.048	7	US 45 / US 62 – Bardwell, Mayfield
		Woodlawn-Oakdale	11.035	17.759	11	KY 1954 (Husband Road) / I-24 Bus. west – Paducah	Eastern terminus of I-24 Bus.
		Reidland	16.153	25.996	16	US 68 – Paducah
	Marshall	Calvert City	24.961	40.171	25	Purchase Parkway to US 62 – Fulton, Calvert City	Western end of I-69 overlap; signed as exits 25A (south) and 25B (north); temporary southern terminus of I-69
		Calvert City	26.565	42.752	27	US 62 – Calvert City, Gilbertsville – Kentucky Dam – Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park – Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area
	Livingston	Grand Rivers	30.729	49.454	31	KY 453 – Smithland, Grand Rivers – The Trace (Land Between the Lakes)	Serves Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area
	Lyon	Kuttawa	39.553	63.654	40	KY 93 / US 62 / US 641 – Eddyville, Kuttawa
		​	41.647	67.024	42	I-69 north / Western Kentucky Parkway east – Princeton, Elizabethtown	Eastern end of I-69 overlap; western terminus of Western Kentucky Parkway; I-69 exit 68
		​	44.732	71.989	45	KY 293 to KY 93 – Princeton – Kentucky State Penitentiary
	Caldwell	​	55.632	89.531	56	KY 139 – Princeton, Cadiz
	Trigg	​	65.313	105.111	65	US 68 / KY 80 – Cadiz, Hopkinsville	Serves Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area
	Christian	​	72.692	116.986	73	KY 117 – Newstead, Gracey
		​	81.243	130.748	81	Pennyrile Parkway north – Hopkinsville	Southern terminus of Pennyrile Parkway, exit 1
		​	85.608	137.773	86	US 41 Alt. – Hopkinsville, Fort Campbell
		Oak Grove	88.761	142.847	89	KY 115 – Oak Grove, Pembroke	serves the Jefferson Davis Monument State Historic Site
			93.373 0.0	150.269 0.0	Kentucky–Tennessee state line
Tennessee	Montgomery	Clarksville	1.5	2.4	1	SR 48 – Clarksville, Trenton
			4.3	6.9	4	US 79 / SR 13 – Clarksville, Guthrie
			7.9	12.7	8	SR 237 (Rossview Road)
			10.6	17.1	11	SR 76 – Adams, Clarksville
	Robertson	Pleasant View	19.2	30.9	19	SR 256 (Maxey Road) – Adams
			24.5	39.4	24	SR 49 – Pleasant View, Coopertown, Springfield, Ashland City
	Cheatham	​	31.1	50.1	31	SR 249 (New Hope Road)
	Davidson	Nashville	35.1	56.5	35	US 431 (SR-65) / Union Hill Road – Springfield, Joelton
			40.7	65.5	40	SR 45 (Old Hickory Boulevard)
			43.6	70.2	43	SR 155 (Briley Parkway) – Opryland	SR 155 exits 18A-B, access to Nashville International Airport
			45.0	72.4	44B	I-65 north – Louisville	Western end of I-65 overlap, exit 88
			46.3	74.5	87	US 431 (Trinity Lane, SR-65)
			47.3	76.1	46B	I-65 south to I-40 west – Memphis, Huntsville	Eastern end of I-65 overlap; south exit 86, north exit 86B
					47	Jefferson Street
					47A	US 41 (Ellington Parkway, SR-6) / US 431 / SR 11 to US 31E north / Spring Street
					48	James Robertson Parkway (US 31, US 41, US 431, SR-6, SR-11) – State Capitol
					49	Korean Vets Boulevard / Shelby Avenue – Nissan Stadium
			50.3	81.0	50B	I-40 west to I-65 south – Memphis, Huntsville	West end of I-40 overlap, east exit 210B, west exit 211; formerly the point where I-24, I-40, and I-65 met
					212	Hermitage Avenue (US 70, SR-24)	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
					212	Fesslers Lane	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
					52B	I-40 east – Knoxville	Eastern end of I-40 overlap, exit 213A, access to Nashville International Airport
					52	US 41 (Murfreesboro Road, US 70S, SR-1)
			53.6	86.3	53	I-440 west – Memphis
					54	SR 155 (Briley Parkway)	SR 155 exits 3A-B
					56	SR 255 (Harding Place)	Access to Nashville International Airport
					57	Haywood Lane – Antioch	Signed as exits 57A (west) and 57B (east) eastbound
					59	SR 254 (Bell Road)
					60	Hickory Hollow Parkway
					62	SR 171 (Old Hickory Boulevard)
	Rutherford	La Vergne			64	Waldron Road – La Vergne
		Smyrna			66	SR 266 east (Sam Ridley Parkway) – Smyrna	Signed as exits 66A (west) and 66B (east) eastbound
					70	SR 102 (Lee Victory Parkway, Almaville Road) – Smyrna
		Murfreesboro			74	I-840 – Franklin, Lebanon, Knoxville	Signed as exits 74A (west) and 74B (east); I-840 west exit 53, east exits 53A-B
					76	Fortress Boulevard, Medical Center Parkway
					78	SR 96 – Franklin, Murfreesboro	Signed as exits 78A (west) and 78B (east)
					80	SR 99 – Murfreesboro
					81	US 231 (SR-10) – Shelbyville, Murfreesboro	Signed as exits 81A (south) and 81B (north) eastbound
					84A	Joe B. Jackson Parkway	Signed as exits 84A (south) and 84B (north) eastbound
					89	Buchanan Road, Epps Mill Road
	Bedford	No major junctions
	Coffee	​			97	SR 64 (Beechgrove Road) – Shelbyville
		​			105	US 41 (SR-2) – Manchester
		Manchester			110	SR 53 – Manchester, Woodbury
					111	SR 55 – Manchester, McMinnville
					114	US 41 (SR-2) – Manchester, Hillsboro
		Arnold Air Force Base			117	Arnold Air Force Base – Tullahoma
	Grundy	Pelham			127	US 64 west / SR 50 – Pelham, Winchester	West end of US 64 overlap
	Marion	Monteagle			134	US 41A (SR-15) – Monteagle, Sewanee
					135	To US 41 north (SR-2 west) – Monteagle, Tracy City	West end of SR-2 overlap
		​			143	Martin Springs Road (SR-2 east)	Eastern end of SR-2 overlap
		Kimball			152	US 64 east / US 72 (SR-27 west) to US 41 – Kimball, South Pittsburg	Eastern end of US 64 overlap; western end of SR-27 overlap
		Jasper			155	SR 28 – Jasper, Dunlap
		​			158	SR 27 east – Nickajack Dam, Powells Crossroads	Eastern end of SR-27 overlap
		​			Interstate 24 Bridge over the Nickajack Lake
		Haletown			161	SR 156 – Haletown, New Hope
	Hamilton	No major junctions
			0.00 0.00	0.00 0.00	Tennessee–Georgia state line
Georgia	Dade	​			167	I‑59 south (SR-406) – Birmingham	Left exit westbound
		​			169	SR 299 to US 11 – Wildwood
			4.13 0.00	6.65 0.00	Georgia–Tennessee state line
Tennessee	Hamilton	Chattanooga			174	US 41 / US 64 (US 72, SR-2) to US 11 – Lookout Valley, Lookout Mountain
					175	Browns Ferry Road – Lookout Mountain
					178	US 27 north (I-124 north) Downtown Chattanooga	Western end of US 27 overlap
					178	US 11 / US 41 / US 64 (Broad Street, US 72, SR-2) – Lookout Mountain	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
					178	SR 58 (Market Street) to US 41 – Lookout Mountain	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
					180	US 27 south (Rossville Boulevard, SR-27 north) to SR 8 north / Central Avenue	Eastern end of US 27 overlap; signed as exits 180A (north) and 180B (south)
					181	4th Avenue
					181A	US 41 south (US 76 east, SR-8 south) – East Ridge	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
					Missionary Ridge crossing
		East Ridge			183	Germantown Road, Belvoir Avenue
					184	Moore Road
		Chattanooga			185	I-75 / US 74 east – Atlanta, Knoxville	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; eastern terminus and signed as exits 185A (south) and 185B (north); I-75 exit 2
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

Related routes

Auxiliary route

• Interstate 124 is an unsigned designation for a short segment of US 27 freeway in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Paducah business loop

Interstate 24 Business
Location:	Paducah, Kentucky
Length:	11.2 mi[16] (18.0 km)

Interstate 24 Business (BL 24) is a 11-mile (18 km) business loop of I-24 that runs through downtown Paducah, Kentucky that begins at I-24 and US 60 at exit 4 and ends at I-24 and Kentucky Route 1954 (KY 1954) at exit 11. The route follows US 60, US 60 Bus., and KY 1954.

The entire route is in McCracken County.

Location	mi[16]	km	Destinations	Notes
Paducah	0.0	0.0	I-24 – St. Louis, Nashville	Western terminus; western end of US 60 overlap
	2.4	3.9	US 60 east	Eastern end of US 60 overlap; western end of US 60 Bus. overlap
	2.6	4.2	US 45 (H.C. Mathis Drive)
	8.2	13.2	US 60 / US 62	Eastern end of US 60 Bus. overlap; western end of KY 1954 overlap
​	11.0	17.7	I-24 – Nashville, St. Louis	Eastern terminus; eastern end of KY 1954 overlap
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

References

1. Adderly, Kevin (January 27, 2016). "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways as of December 31, 2015". Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
2. Google (February 15, 2008). "Overview Map of Interstate 24" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved February 15, 2008.
3. Illinois Department of Transportation (2010). Williamson County General Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Springfield: Illinois Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
4. Illinois Department of Transportation (1994). Johnson County General Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Springfield: Illinois Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
5. Illinois Department of Transportation (2001). Massac County General Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Springfield: Illinois Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
6. Google (December 22, 2013). "Interstate 24 in Kentucky" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
7. Tennessee Department of Transportation (May 1, 2007). "Fiscal Years 2008–2010 Transportation Improvement Program". Tennessee Department of Transportation.
8. Office of Secretary of State (1967). Illinois Blue Book, 1967–1968. State of Illinois. p. 746. Retrieved January 9, 2011 – via Illinois Digital Archives.
9. Office of Secretary of State (1965). Illinois Blue Book, 1965–1966. State of Illinois. p. 720. Retrieved January 9, 2011 – via Illinois Digital Archives.
10. Illinois Automobile Department (1977). Illinois Highway Map (Map). 1:762,500. Springfield: Illinois State Library. Retrieved January 9, 2011 – via Illinois Digital Archives.
11. "Sinkhole Forces I-24 Closure in Grundy County". Nashville, TN: WTVF-TV. May 18, 2010. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
12. "Sinkhole Repaired, I-24 Reopens". Chattanooga Times Free Press. May 22, 2010. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
13. Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2013). "T2 GIS Data". Illinois Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
14. Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. "Official DMI Route Log". Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
15. Long Range Planning Division-Mapping Section (2013). Official Transportation Map (Map). c. 1:633,600. Tennessee Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
16. Google (July 4, 2014). "Business Loop 24" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved July 4, 2014.

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

• Geographic data related to Interstate 24 at OpenStreetMap
• Illinois Highway Ends: Interstate 24
• Official State of Tennessee Road Map

Browse numbered routes
← IL 23	Illinois	US 24 →
← US 23	Kentucky	US 25 →
← US 23	Tennessee	US 25 →
← US 23	Georgia	US 25 →