Tennessee State Route 397


State Route 397, also known as the Mack Hatcher Memorial Parkway, is a primary state route that serves as the perimeter road for the city of Franklin, Tennessee. Throughout its length, SR 397 also carries the designations of U.S. Route 31 Truck and U.S. Route 431 Truck.

Route description

SR 397 begins as a two-lane highway south of Franklin at an intersection with US 31 / SR 6, where it picks up US 31 Truck. It heads east to cross over some railroad tracks before passing through subdivisions and coming to an intersection with US 431 / SR 106, where it picks up US 431 Truck. The highway then crosses the Harpeth River to turn north and pass through more wooded areas before having an intersection with SR 96, where it widens to 4-lane divided highway. SR 397 passes by more subdivisions before curving to the west and passing through more rural areas to have another intersection with US 31/SR 6, where US 31 Truck ends. It continues west to cross the Harpeth River for a second time before coming to an end at an intersection with US 431/SR 106.

Future

On December 2, 2005, the Tennessee Department of Transportation announced that the preferred alignment for the Mack Hatcher Parkway Western Extension would be Alternate G. This route, long, begins at US 31/SR 6 south of Franklin and ends at US 431/SR 106 north of Franklin. It will go around the west side of Franklin. The Western Extension will create a complete perimeter around Franklin, divert through traffic from the city, and provide easy access to other nearby routes. Work began on the first segment of the extension, a length of in December 2018, and is expected to be completed in November 2021.

Major intersections