Tennessee State Route 158

State Route 158 marker State Route 158 marker
State Route 158
Neyland Drive
James White Parkway
Map
SR 158 is highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by TDOT
Length4.63 mi[1] (7.45 km)
Existed1958[2]–present
HistoryCompleted September 15, 1973[3]
Major junctions
West end US 11 / US 70 in Knoxville
Major intersections
East end I-40 in Knoxville
Location
CountryUnited States
StateTennessee
CountiesKnox
Highway system
SR 157 SR 159

State Route 158 (SR 158) is a major east–west state highway in the city of Knoxville in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It runs 4.63 miles (7.45 km) from Kingston Pike (US 11/US 70) along the Tennessee River to Interstate 40. The western portion of the highway is a surface street known as Neyland Drive and the eastern part is a controlled-access highway called James White Parkway. The entire highway serves as a bypass of downtown Knoxville and as a direct connector to the University of Tennessee (UT) campus and athletic facilities. Serving as the primary means of access to facilities such as Neyland Stadium and Thompson–Boling Arena, the route experiences congestion on game days, with a contraflow lane reversal implemented to mitigate this.[4] It also serves as a spur into downtown and provides access to a number of local landmarks and historic sites, including the Blount Mansion and James White's Fort.

The highway that is now SR 158 has its origins in the original plat for Knoxville from 1791, which included a road along the riverfront. An extension of this road was completed in 1951 to serve Neyland Stadium, and a freeway loop around Downtown Knoxville was proposed that same year. The eastern portion of this freeway loop, which was initially known as the Downtown Loop, became the controlled-access part of SR 158, and was constructed in three segments between 1963 and 1973. This section of SR 158 was extensively reconstructed between 2005 and 2007 in a major project known as "SmartFix 40", which also involved a major reconstruction and widening of the connecting segment of I-40.

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