Tennessee State Route 73

State Route 73 (SR 73) is west-north state highway in East Tennessee. For most of its length, it is an unsigned companion route to U.S. Route 321 (US 321).

State Route 73
State Route 73 & Highway 73 Scenic Highlighted.
Route information
Maintained by TDOT
Length	101.76 mi (163.77 km)
Major junctions
West end	I-40 / US 321 / SR 95 in Lenoir City
Major intersections	I-75 in Lenoir City US 129 in Maryville Foothills Parkway in Walland US 441 in Pigeon Forge Gatlinburg Bypass in Gatlinburg US 441 in Gatlinburg Foothills Parkway in Cosby US 321 near Cosby I-40 near Cosby
North end	US 25 / US 70 in Newport
Location
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
Counties	Loudon, Blount, Sevier, Cocke
Highway system
Tennessee State Routes Interstate US State
← SR 72 SR 73 → US 74 ← SR 336 SR 337 → SR 338

Route description

SR 73 begins at an interchange with Interstate 40 (I-40) concurrent with U.S. Route 321 (US 321) and SR 95 south of Oak Ridge and north of Lenoir City. The three highways head south to an intersection with US 70 and I-75 in Lenoir City. They then continue southeast to intersect US 11 in Lenoir City. SR 95 leaves US 321 and SR 73 south of Lenoir City, The two highways head east into Blount County traveling just south of Friendsville. On the edge of Maryville the highways have a short concurrency with SR 335 and intersect US 129, in downtown they intersect US 411 and SR 33. The highways then proceed out of Maryville and intersect Foothills Parkway's western segment in Chilhowee, turn south and then back east to Townsend where the highways intersect SR 73 Scenic. US 321 and mainline SR 73 turn north and SR 73 Scenic heads east into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The highways then continue northeasterly through Wears Valley to Pigeon Forge where they turn south onto US 441 and travel concurrent for 8.5 miles (13.7 km) to Gatlinburg (just before Gatlinburg, they have an interchange with Gatlinburg Bypass), where SR 73 and US 321 turn east and US 441 heads south. They then absorb and begin a concurrency with SR 32 in Cosby and intersect Foothills Parkway's eastern segment. SR 73 then leaves US 321 and SR 32 south of Newport. It then has a second interchange with I-40 and heads northerly to terminate at US 25 and US 70 on the east side of Newport.

Between Lenoir City and the second intersection with SR 32 in Cosby, SR 73 is an unsigned primary highway designated east–west. For the rest of its length, it is a signed secondary highway designated north–south.

Junction list

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Loudon	Lenoir City	0	0.0	I-40 / US 321 begin / SR 95 north (White Wing Road) – Oak Ridge, Knoxville, Nashville	Northern terminus of US 321, western terminus of SR 73 and begin US 321 and SR 95 overlap; I-40 exit 364; SR 73 begins as an unsigned primary highway
				US 70 (Kingston Pike/SR 1) – Kingston, Knoxville
				I-75 – Chattanooga, Knoxville	I-75 exit 81
				US 11 (Broadway Street) – Loudon, Farragut
				SR 444 west (Tellico Parkway) – Tellico Village	Interchange; eastern terminus of SR 444
	​			SR 95 south – Greenback	east end of SR 95 overlap
Blount	Friendsville			SR 333 north (E Main Avenue)	Southern terminus of SR 333
	Maryville			SR 335 south (William Blount Drive)	Begin SR 335 overlap
				SR 335 north (Old Glory Road)	End SR 335 overlap
				SR 446 east (Foothills Mall Drive) to US 129 – Foothills Mall	Western terminus of SR 446
				US 129 (Alcoa Highway/SR 115) – Alcoa, Robbinsville	Provides access to McGhee Tyson Airport
				US 411 (West Broadway Ave/SR 33) – Rockford, Madisonville
				SR 336 south (Montvale Road)	Northern terminus of SR 336
				SR 447 north (S Washington Street) to US 411 – Alcoa	SR 447 is unsigned it is just signed as a connector to US 411/SR 35; southern terminus
	Walland			Foothills Parkway – Top of The World, Chilhowee Lake, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Look Rock area	Interchange
	Townsend			SR 73 Scenic east (E Lamar Alexander Parkway/SR 337 east) – Great Smoky Mountains National Park	Western terminus of SR 73 Scenic and unsigned SR 337
Sevier	Wears Valley			Foothills Parkway	Interchange; eastern terminus of western segment of the Foothills Parkway
	Pigeon Forge			US 441 north (Parkway/SR 71 north) – Sevierville	Begin overlap with US 441/SR 71
				SR 449 north (Dollywood Lane/Veterans Boulevard) – Dollywood	Southern terminus of SR 449
	Gatlinburg			Gatlinburg Bypass – Cherokee, Great Smoky Mountains National Park	Interchange; Northern terminus of Gatlinburg Bypass
				US 441 south / SR 73 Scenic west (Parkway/SR 71 south) – Cherokee, Great Smoky Mountains National Park	East end US 441/SR 71 overlap; eastern terminus of SR 73 scenic
	Gatlinburg–Pittman Center line			SR 454 north (Buckhorn Road)	Southern terminus of SR 454
	Pittman Center			SR 416 north (Pittman Center Road) – Sevierville	Southern terminus of SR 416
Cocke	Cosby			SR 32 south	Begin SR 32 overlap
				Foothills Parkway to   I-40	Western terminus of eastern segment of the Foothills Parkway
				SR 339 west (Jones Cove Road) – Sevierville	Eastern terminus of SR 339
				US 321 north / SR 32 north (Cosby Highway) – Newport	End of US 321 and SR 32 overlap; SR 73 becomes signed as a secondary highway; SR 73 changes cardinal directions from east-west to north-south
	​			I-40 – Knoxville, Asheville	I-40 exit 440
	Newport	101.76	163.77	US 25 / US 70 (E Broadway Street/SR 9) – Newport, Del Rio, Hot Springs	Northern terminus; SR 73 ends as a signed secondary highway
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Unopened

Scenic route

State Route 73 Scenic
Location	Townsend–Great Smoky Mountains National Park

State Route 73 Scenic (SR 73 Scenic) is a spur route of SR 73 in Blount and Sevier counties in the eastern portion of Tennessee. It serves as a connector route into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The road runs from Townsend to southwest of Gatlinburg. The route is also called Fighting Creek Gap Road^[1] from US 441 to the Elkmont Campground entrance and Little River Gorge Road^[2] to the Towsend Entrance Road. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, as well as many locals, often refer to this stretch of park road as "Little River Road" as this road follows the former roadbed of the Little River Railroad along the Little River from the Townsend entrance to the Park to Elkmont.

It begins at US 321 and mainline SR 73 in Townsend and heads east into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and ends its signed portion at Laurel Creek Road which goes to Cades Cove. The unsigned portion begins and continues through the park to end at US 441 in the park south of Gatlinburg, It then becomes signed again and turns north on to US 441/SR 71 and follows US 441/SR 71 for 2.7 miles to US 321/SR 73 in downtown Gatlinburg where it ends.

TDOT has this route internally designated as State Route 337 (SR 337).^{[citation needed]}

SR 73 Scenic was formerly a portion of SR 73, which was moved to US 321 when that route was extended to the area in 1981.

Despite being signed Secondary on TDOT maps, in Gatlinburg, State Route 73 Scenic is signed Primary with the concurrency of U.S. 441/ SR 71 throughout the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.^{[citation needed]} It is also signed as Primary along East Parkway (US 321).^[3]

Junctions

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Blount	Townsend			US 321 (East Lamar Alexander Parkway/Townsend Entrance Road/SR 73) – Maryville, Pigeon Forge	Western terminus
	Great Smoky Mountains National Park			Laurel Creek Road – Cades Cove
Sevier				Wear Gap Road – Wears Valley
				Elkmont Road – Elkmont
				US 441 south (Newfound Gap Road/SR 71 south) – Gatlinburg, Cherokee	Western end of US 441/SR 71 concurrency
				Gatlinburg Bypass – Pigeon Forge	Interchange
	Gatlinburg			US 441 north / US 321 north (East Parkway/Parkway/SR 71 north/SR 73 north) – Pigeon Forge, Cosby	Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

•   United States portal
•   U.S. Roads portal

References

1. "Park Tiles". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-04-12.
2. "Park Tiles". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-04-12.
3. Sign located near 200 East Parkway across the road from Clarion Pointe Downtown Gatlinburg Hotel on a light pole.