U.S. Route 51 in Tennessee

U.S. Route 51
	State Route 3
	290x172px
Route information
	Maintained by TDOT
Length:	135.90 mi (218.71 km)
Major junctions
South end:	US 51 at the MS line
	<templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/> I-55 in Memphis; US 78 in Memphis; US 64 / US 70 / US 72 / US 79 in Memphis; I-240 in Memphis; I-40 in Memphis; Future I-69 / SR 300 in Memphis; Future I-269 / SR 385 in Millington; I-155 / US 412 in Dyersburg; Future I-169 / US 45W / SR 22 near Union City; US 45 / US 45E in South Fulton;
North end:	US 51 / Purchase Parkway at the KY line
Location
Counties:	Shelby, Tipton, Lauderdale, Dyer, Obion
Highway system

U.S. Route 51, mostly overlapped by the unsigned State Route 3 (SR 3), is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of Tennessee, that is 135.9 miles (218.71 km) long.^[2] It begins in Shelby County and ends in Obion County. The SR 3 designation is seen largely on mileposts.

The two places where US 51 and SR 3 differ are in Memphis, where US 51 has been moved to Danny Thomas Boulevard (State Route 1 / State Route 4), while SR 3 remains on the one-way pair of 2nd and 3rd Streets, and in South Fulton, where US 51 crosses the state line on State Route 215 to the Purchase Parkway, while SR 3 remains on the old road, now U.S. Route 45.^[1]

Route description

US 51 enters Tennessee at Memphis and runs north through the cities of Millington, Munford, Atoka, Brighton, Covington, Henning, Ripley, Halls, Dyersburg, Troy, Union City, and South Fulton.

Routings of US 51 and SR 3 in Memphis

This highway crosses four interstate highways on its journey through the state and actually crosses Interstate 240 twice within the City of Memphis but interchanges with it only at Union Avenue. US 51 is the westernmost south–north United States Highway in the State of Tennessee. US 51 is an interstate standard facility^[1] from Dyersburg to South of Troy and then resuming interstate standard status north of Union City to South Fulton. US 51 is a four-lane or larger facility throughout the state with some sections north of Dyersburg carrying a 70 mph (110 km/h) speed limit.

Near Henning is also the site of the Hatchie River Bridge collapse on April 1, 1989 that killed 8 motorists when 3 spans of the structure collapsed. The 54-year-old bridge was 45 miles (72 km) north of Memphis and carried the northbound lanes of US 51. Its collapse was the result of pier scour and movement of the river channel.^[3]^[4]

US 51 carries the Tennessee Scenic Parkway designation from its junction with SR 385 in Millington to SR 104 in Dyersburg and also carries the Great River Road designation from US 64/US 70/US 79 in Memphis to SR 88 in Halls.^[1]

"Welcome to Memphis" sign on US 51 (2008)

History

Historic two-lane alignments of this highway from Henning north are represented by State Route 209, a portion of State Route 88, State Route 210, State Route 211, a portion of State Route 183 and State Route 184. From Memphis to Henning, most of the original two lane road was upgraded to four lane expressway in the 1960s.

Future

Most of US 51 north of Dyersburg is expected to be upgraded as part of future Interstate 69. Plans currently call for Interstate 69 to run along the existing US 51 freeway from Dyersburg to Troy and from Union City to South Fulton. This section is part of SIU 7 for Interstate 69 and will require few changes beyond resigning the existing highway, however, a bypass route around Troy and Union City will need to be built before this section of future Interstate 69 is completed.^[5]^[6]

Major intersections

County	Location	Destinations	Notes
Shelby	Memphis	US 51 south – Southaven	Mississippi state line
		SR 175 (Shelby Drive)
		I-55 to I-240	I-55 exit 5; no access from US 51 south to I-55 north or I-55 south to US 51 north
		US 78 (Lamar Avenue / SR 4)
		US 64 east / US 70 east / US 72 east / US 79 north (Union Avenue / SR 23 east)	Southern end of US 64 / US 70 / US 79 overlap
		I-240 south	I-240 exit 30
		US 64 west / US 70 west / US 79 south (Union Avenue / SR 3 north) / Danny Thomas Boulevard south (SR 1 west / SR 4 east)	Northern end of US 64 / US 70 / US 79 / SR 3 overlap; southern end of SR 1 / SR 4 overlap; interchange
		Madison Avenue	Interchange
		Jefferson Avenue	Interchange
		I-40 – Little Rock, Nashville	I-40 exits 1B–D
		SR 1 east (North Parkway) / SR 14 south (A.W. Willis Avenue)	Northern end of SR 1 overlap; southern end of SR 14 overlap
		SR 14 north (Jackson Avenue)	Northern end of SR 14 overlap
		Chelsea Avenue (SR 3 south)	Northern end of SR 4 overlap; southern end of SR 3 overlap; no left turn from either direction
		Future I-69 south (via SR 300) / I-40 – Airport	I-40 exit 2A; current temporary northern end of I-69; southern end of future I-69 overlap
		Great River Road south (Whitney Avenue)
		SR 388 north / Great River Road north (North Watkins Street) – Meeman-Shelby State Park
	Millington	Future I-269 east (Paul W. Barret Parkway / SR 385) to I-40
	Millington	SR 205 south (Navy Road) – University of Memphis Millington Center, Millington Municipal Airport, NSA Mid-South
Tipton	Atoka / Munford	SR 178 north (Tipton Road) – Munford
	Atoka / Munford	SR 206 – Munford, Atoka, Drummonds
	Brighton	Old Highway 51 – Brighton Business District
	Brighton	Old Highway 51 – Brighton Business District
	Covington	SR 59 east – truck route to SR 54 east	Southern end of SR 59 overlap
		SR 54 east (West Pleasant Street) – Brownsville
		SR 59 west / Great River Road south (West Liberty Avenue) – Duvall Landing	Northern end of SR 59 overlap
		SR 384 south – Truck route to SR 54 east
Lauderdale		SR 209 north – Henning, Alex Haley Museum
	Henning	SR 87 / Great River Road north – Fort Pillow, Henning, Fort Pillow State Historic Park, Alex Haley Museum and Interpretive Center
	Ripley	SR 19 east – Ripley Business District, Brownsville	Southern end of SR 19 overlap
		SR 19 west / Great River Road south – Ripley	North end of SR 19 overlap; interchange
		SR 208 south – Ripley
		SR 180 south – Gates
	Halls	SR 88 / Great River Road north – Halls, Mississippi River	Interchange
Dyer	Four Points	To SR 210 – Unionville, Jackson
	Dyersburg	US 51 Bus. north (SR 211) to US 412 east – truck route to SR 104 east
		SR 104 – Finley, Trenton
		SR 78 north / SR 78 south to I-155 / US 412 – Tiptonville, Reelfoot Lake State Park, Dyersburg State Community College
		US 51 Bus. south (SR 211) – Dyersburg	South end of SR 211 overlap
		US 412 east / SR 211 north to I-40 – Jackson, Newbern	Northern end of SR 211 overlap; southern end of US 412 overlap; south end of freeway; interchange
		I-155 west / US 412 west – St. Louis	North end of US 412 overlap; I-155 exit 15
	Newbern	SR 77 – Newbern
Dyer Obion		SR 105 – Trimble, Rutherford
Obion	Obion	SR 183 – Obion
		SR 183 north – Obion	Northern end of freeway
	Troy	SR 21 west – Troy, Hornbeak, Reelfoot Lake State Park, Port of Cates Landing	Southern end of SR 21 overlap
	Troy	SR 21 east	Northern end of SR 21 overlap
	Union City	SR 184 south
		SR 431 south (Reelfoot Road) to US 45 south / US 45W – Martin, Airport
		SR 22 north / SR 5 (West Main Street) – Woodland Mills, Reelfoot Lake, Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge, Port of Cates Landing, Business District	Southern end of SR 22 overlap
		SR 21 – Clinton, KY, Union City
		US 45W south / SR 22 south / Ken-Tenn Road (SR 214 north) / Section Line Road	Northern end of SR 22 overlap; southern end of US 45W overlap; southern end of freeway; interchange
		Future I-69 south	Proposed southern end of I-69 overlap
	South Fulton	SR 214 (Ken Tenn Road)	Interchange; northern end of freeway
		US 45 north (SR 3) / US 45E south (SR 215) – South Fulton, Martin, Jackson	Northern end of US 45W / SR 3 overlap; southern end of SR 215 overlap; southern end of freeway; interchange
		US 51 north / Purchase Parkway north	Kentucky state line
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus