Tennessee State Route 156

State Route 156
Route information
Length:	35.4 mi (57.0 km)
Major junctions
North end:	US 41A / SR 15 / SR 56 near Sewanee
	US 72 / SR 27 in South Pittsburgh I-24 exit 161 near Haletown
East end:	SR 134 in Haletown
Location
Counties:	Franklin, Marion
Highway system
Tennessee State Routes Interstate US State

State Route 156 (SR-156) is a spur route of SR-56 and a state highway in the southern central and southeastern portions of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It traverses the southern Cumberland Plateau before descending into the Sequatchie Valley, where follows the shores of Nickajack Lake for its final few miles.^[1]

Route description

SR 156 begins atop the western Cumberland Plateau near Sewanee at an intersection with U.S. Route 41. It winds its way southeastward across a remote section of the plateau, passing through Franklin State Forest along the way. After exiting the forest, the road veers eastward and intersects Orme Mountain Road, a gravel road connecting the highway with Orme in the valley to the south.^[1]

View of Nickajack Lake from SR 377, showing the causeway carrying SR 156 across the lake below

Just beyond its intersection with Patton School Road, SR 156 descends more than a thousand feet from the edge of the plateau into the Sequatchie Valley, where it enters South Pittsburg. It follows 2nd Street through the city's downtown area before briefly merging with U.S. Route 72, veering north along Cedar Avenue for several blocks, and then turning eastward again. SR 156 crosses the Tennessee River via the steel arch Shelby Rhinehart Bridge.^[1]

After crossing the bridge, SR 156 enters New Hope, which it traverses from west-to-east, providing its main traffic artery. At this city's eastern limits, SR 156 intersects SR 377, which continues southward into Alabama (where it becomes Alabama State Route 73). Beyond this intersection, SR 156 crosses a mile-long causeway across Nickajack Lake, with the Nickajack Cove inlet to the south, and the main body of the lake to the north. The road runs parallel to a stretch of CSX railroad tracks along the length of the causeway.^[1]

After reaching the main lakeshore, SR 156 turns northeastward, following the shore and the lower slopes of Sand Mountain before reaching an intersection with Interstate 24. Just past this intersection, the highway again crosses a section of the lake before terminating at its intersection with SR 134. From this point, SR 134 continues northward into Haletown and eastward toward Whiteside and northwestern Georgia.^[1]

Junction list

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Franklin	Sewanee			US 41A / SR 15 / SR 56 (Sewanee Highway / Sollace M. Freeman Highway) – Monteagle, Sewanee, The University of the South, Winchester	Northern terminus of SR-156
Marion	No major junctions
Franklin	No major junctions
Marion	​			Orme Mountain Road – Orme	End South-North designation
	South Pittsburg			US 72 north / SR 27 east – Kimball, Jasper	Interchange
				US 72 south / SR 27 west – Bridgeport, Stevenson, Hollywood, Scottsboro	Interchange
	Tennessee River			Shelby Reinhart Bridge across Guntersville Lake
	New Hope			SR 422 south (Long Island Road)	Northern terminus of SR-422
				SR 377 south – Bryant	Northern terminus of SR-377
	Haletown			I-24 – Chattanooga, Monteagle, Murfreesboro	I-24 exit 161; interchange.
				SR 134 (J.E. Clouse Highway) – Jasper, Wildwood	Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Incomplete access

References

1. Tennessee Department of Transportation (2016). Official Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). c.1:1,013,760. Nashville: Tennessee Department of Transportation. §§ E9-E10. Retrieved September 28, 2016.

External links

• Media related to Tennessee State Route 156 at Wikimedia Commons