  State Route 33 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 SR 33; primary in red, secondary in blue, unsigned in green | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by TDOT | ||||
| Length | 174.42 mi (280.70 km) | |||
| Existed | October 1, 1923[1]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |   US 411 / SR 61 at Georgia state line in Tennga, Georgia | |||
| North end |  SR 696 (to  SR 600) at Virginia state line in Hancock County | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Tennessee | |||
| Counties | Polk, McMinn, Monroe, Loudon, Blount, Knox, Union, Claiborne, Hancock | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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State Route 33 (SR 33) is a primary and secondary route in East Tennessee. It runs 176 miles, from the Georgia state line in Polk County, northeast to the Virginia state line north of Kyles Ford in Hancock County. South of Maryville, SR 33 is a "hidden" route which shares a concurrency with US 411.
The section of SR 33 between Knoxville and Tazewell, along with US 25E between Tazewell and Middlesboro, Kentucky, was an inspiration for the song The Ballad of Thunder Road. In the song, a moonshiner runs illegal whiskey from Kentucky to Knoxville on this route.[2] Sections of the former Highway 33 in Union County have signs marking "The Original Thunder Road".
- ^ Highway Planning Survey Division (1925). Biennial Report of the Commissioner of the Department of Highways and Public Works State of Tennessee for the Years 1923 and 1924 (PDF) (Report). Nashville: Tennessee Department of Highways and Public Works. pp. 39–44. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
- ^ "BALLAD OF THUNDER ROAD". www.univie.ac.at. Archived from the original on 2001-03-04.