State Route 1, known as the Memphis to Bristol Highway, is a mostly-unsigned state highway in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It stretches all the way from the Arkansas state line at Memphis in the southwest corner of the state to Bristol in the northeast part. Most of the route travels concurrently with U.S. Route 70 and US 11W. It is the longest highway of any kind in the state of Tennessee. The route is signed as both in the state of Tennessee, a Primary and Secondary Highway In 2015, the Tennessee Department of Transportation erected signs along SR 1 showing motorists they are traveling on the Memphis to Bristol Highway, Tennessee's first state road. TDOT installed the signs at every county line while it celebrated its 100th anniversary.
Route description
Memphis Area
SR 1 begins as a primary route on Interstate 55 in the middle of the Memphis & Arkansas Bridge at the Arkansas–Tennessee state line. US 61, US 64, US 70, and US 79 come off the bridge alongside SR 1; US 61 soon turns south with SR 14. The other three U.S. Highways split east onto SR 3, and US 51 joins, only to split with SR 4 where SR 1 turns east alone onto North Parkway. However, US 64/US 70/US 79 soon rejoin SR 1 at SR 57. These 4 routes continue as Summer Avenue until exiting Memphis. The portions where SR 1 runs by itself are signed.
SR 1 is a Primary Route until it runs around Brownsville. After the junction of SR 76, SR 1 becomes a secondary route for a short time until it crosses TN-SR 186. After leaving Memphis, SR 1 runs along the following routes:
SR 1 enters Nashville from the west along US 70S through the community of Bellevue. Between Old Hickory Pike and White Bridge Road east of Belle Meade, the highway is known as Harding Pike. Between here and Downtown Nashville, SR 1 is known as West End Avenue. In downtown, SR 1 is known as Broadway. As SR 1 approaches 8th Avenue South/Rosa Parks, it turns right and southeast, joining US 41 and becoming known as Lafayette Street and then Murfreesboro Road.
Tennessee State Route 1 is a Primary Route until its intersection with US 70N/ TN-SR 24. It continues to be a secondary route until its intersection with US 11W. East of Nashville, SR 1 runs along the following routes:
US 70S through Belle Meade and Nashville to SR 111 in Sparta
SR 1 enters Knox County along with US 70 and US 11. From here to near the downtown area, the road is locally known as Kingston Pike and near the University of Tennessee campus it is known as Cumberland Avenue. It turns north onto Henley Street becoming Broadway Street, east onto Magnolia Avenue, north onto Hall of Fame Drive, and back onto Magnolia Avenue. In East Knoxville, SR 1 splits from US 70 and continues northeast with US 11W as Rutledge Pike.
Between Knoxville and Bristol
Between Knoxville and Bristol, SR 1 runs along US 11W.
Bristol
In Bristol, SR 1 leaves US 11W right at the state line, and heads east on its own along State Street. It turns south at US 11E/US 19, ending two blocks later at Broad Street.
