Research credits: Robert
Droz; Adam
Froehlig. Photo credits: Alex
Nitzman; Chris
Patriarca
As you can see from the chart above, several US routes end
in Chattanooga (or have ended there historically). Many of these endpoints
are/were common to more than one highway, so I thought it would be best
to create a page that covers all Chattanooga endpoints. Rather than organizing
these locations numerically or chronologically (as I often do), I've decided
to do it geographically in this case. We'll start at the current signed
end of US 127 north of downtown, and work our way down to the south; then
we'll turn around and generally head back north to the point of beginning.
US 127 was extended to Chattanooga in 1958. It's routed along
Signal Mountain Boulevard, and (according to signage anyway) begins at the
US 27 freeway:
Nitzman, June 2005
That's from northbound US 27 - note how US 127 is described
as heading "North" only. According to TNDoT route descriptions, it actually
continues south from here as well, ending downtown. But apparently TNDoT
wants that to be kept secret from the driving public: heading south on US
127, there's an "End" assembly at the interchange with the US 27 freeway:
Patriarca, summer 2003
The overpass is the "new" US 27. That "End" sign is perplexing,
because TN DoT documents indicate that US 127 officially continues ahead
on Signal Mountain to Dayton Boulevard, which is the old US 27. But even
heading south on Dayton, signage does not indicate that US 127 continues
south of Signal Mountain:
Google Maps
Street View, 2008
(Incidentally, I think the intention there is "TO South US
27", because there's a ramp to the US 27 freeway about a half-mile ahead.)
It was 1928 when US 27 was first extended to Chattanooga. At the time, US
41 followed a different route than it does today east from Jasper, coming
to this point via what is now US 127 (Signal Mountain). US 27 came south
on Dayton, so it could've ended here at its junction with US 41. Or the
two routes could've been duplexed straight ahead, into downtown Chattanooga.
Today, that's what US 127 does, according to TNDoT: officially it continues
straight ahead on Dayton, which becomes Cherokee Boulevard. At Market Street,
US 127 turns south to cross the Tennessee River... but there is no signage
to indicate these movements. At 8th Street, we reach a possible endpoint
of US 27, where it would've met US 11:
Google Maps Street
View, 2008
Ahead one block (at 9th Street, or M.L. King Boulevard), we
reach the official south end of US 127:
Google Maps Street
View, 2008
Formerly this junction made a somewhat reasonable endpoint,
as US 11-64 used to be routed along MLK. But those routes no longer come
through here. And at any rate, there's absolutely no highway signage at
any approach to this intersection! Making this junction even more interesting
is the fact that the west beginning of US 76 is straight ahead on Market
(officially, that is... although again, there is no signage in this area
for that route, either. And as a matter of fact, what signage does
exist for US 76 is even more misleading than the signage for US 127, as
we'll see below). But first, a shot from eastbound MLK:
Google Maps Street
View, 2008
From that perspective, northbound US 127 begins to the left,
and eastbound US 76 begins to the right. Let's turn that direction and continue
south on Market. In two blocks (at 11th Street), we reach a former terminus
of US 72, and a possible former terminus of US 76:
Google Maps
Street View, 2008
During the 1930s, US 72 began to the right on 11th. This is
also where US 76 would've junctioned with US 11, 41, 64, and 72 (if we assume
it was co-signed with US 27 north from Main). One more block ahead (12th
Street) was possibly a one-year endpoint of US 64, as it was in the process
of being extended east from Arkansas to North Carolina:
Google Maps
Street View, 2008
In about three more blocks, Market has an intersection with
Main, which carries US 41. Officially, US 76 joins US 41 by turning to the
east on Main (but once again, no signage indicates this). About two blocks
east on Main is the intersection with Rossville Avenue:
Google Maps
Street View, 2008
If US 76 was historically co-signed into downtown with US
27, then this is where the two routes split. If not, then to the right on
Rossville was a former east beginning of US 76 (that road is now closed
to traffic at the railyards, but historically it was a through route). In
about two more blocks (approaching Washington Street) is the first US 76
sign...
Google Maps Street View, 2008
...or, more accurately, the first US 76 sign that's actually
on US 76 (more on that below). Now let's turn around and retrace
our path back to the north. Directly across the street from the sign shown
above is the last US 76 marker that's posted on the official US 76:
Google Maps Street View, 2008
In a couple blocks we're back to Rossville. The photo below
shows the view looking north on Rossville:
Google Maps
Street View, 2008
That was formerly US 76 - it could've ended here at Main (US
27 at the time), but it may have turned left on Main in order to join US
27 to a junction downtown. About two blocks that direction, US 76 officially
turns north on Market... but, you guessed it: no signage to that effect.
At this point, we're going to take a slight detour by continuing west on
Main, where we find another perplexing sign:
Google Maps Street View, 2008
That assembly is on Main at Cowart Street, and it implies
that US 76 ends one block ahead, at Broad. However, this has been incorrect
since 2001, when the westernmost segment of US 76 was changed. The photo
below shows the intersection at Broad, which is a former endpoint of US
76...
Google Maps Street View, 2008
...as well as the current terminus of US 72: the east beginning
is to the left on Broad. But - no surprise - there's no signage indicating
that at this intersection. The shot below is looking south on Broad:
Google Maps
Street View, 2008
US 72 begins straight ahead, and to the left on Main was a
former west beginning of US 76. Heading the opposite direction (north on
Broad), there is an assembly at 17th Street referring to the end of US 72:
Wilson, Feb. 2002
That photo was taken prior to the rerouting of US 76; the
shot below shows what it looks like now...
Montgomery, July 2004
...but at the next block (16th Street), there's still a reference
to US 76:
Google Maps Street View, 2008
And if you make that right turn, you're immediately greeted
with a US 76 confirming assembly:
Google Maps Street View, 2008
The bottom line is: in 2008 US 76 was still signed to its
old endpoint, even though its routing had been changed seven years prior.
Let's continue about three blocks east, and then turn north on Market (where
US 76 is supposed to be). First we come to 12th, which as I've said was
probably a brief endpoint for US 64:
Google Maps
Street View, 2008
The next block (11th) was a possible west end of US 76...
Google Maps
Street View, 2008
...and according to a 1938 map, US 72 continued on Broad four
blocks north of its current terminus, then turned right on 11th, and ended
at Market, which was US 27 at the time. The shot below is looking east on
11th:
Google Maps
Street View, 2008
That's where US 72 ended at Market (then US 27). Two blocks
to the left we reach 9th (or MLK), which is the current official west end
of US 76:
Google Maps Street
View, 2008
The south beginning of US 127 is straight ahead. The shot
below is looking west on MLK:
Google Maps Street
View, 2008
From there, US 76 begins to the left, and US 127 begins to
the right. Turning that direction, the next block is 8th, where US 27 possibly
began:
Google Maps Street
View, 2008
US 127 continues north, then turns left on Cherokee. That
becomes Dayton, but there are no reassurance markers until the one shown
in the photo below:
Patriarca, summer 2003
That's looking north on Dayton; Signal Mountain begins to
the left. This is where original US 41 made a left turn - US 27 may have
begun straight ahead, but more likely this is simply where the two routes
split. Likewise, when US 127 was later extended to Chattanooga, this is
probably where it split from US 27. Old US 27 used to continue northbound
straight ahead. But now both northbound Business 27 and US 127 continue
left to the interchange with the modern US 27 freeway. Just beyond that
junction is the first US 127 confirming marker:
Nitzman, June 2005
One more US route still needs to be mentioned: in 1987 the
US 74 designation was officially extended to Chattanooga. However, signage
ends in Cleveland TN - you get more info and view photos on my main US
74 page.