Norris Freeway

Norris Freeway is a Tennessee historical marker in Knox County.

Norris Freeway about 1/8 mile from Maynardville Hwy along the sidewalk in front of Bargain Hunt Store.

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Built in 1934 by TVA as an important part of TVA's first hydroelectric dam project, Norris Freeway provided a connection from the railroad in Coal Creek in Anderson County to Halls Crossroads in North Knox County. Built to transfer materials to the dam and provide access to administrative offices in Knoxville, and "considered the world's first limited access road...built for utilitarian or construction project-purposes," it runs 21 miles and cost 41.4 million to build. TVA limited billboards and commercial uses along the freeway to provide a scenic drive to Norris Dam and Norris.

TodayHistorical map

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Digital Commonwealth, Boston Public Library

Historical maps covering this location

1796 · Map of The Tennassee (sic) Government. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1862 · Johnson's Kentucky & Tennessee (1862) (Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1895 · Gen. map VII. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1897 · Maynardville, Tennessee (USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection)
1927 · Relief map, state of Tennessee (Digital Commonwealth, Boston Public Library)

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Marker text and location from the Tennessee Historical Commission, as the Commission publishes them on its marker map.

Norris Freeway

Historical maps covering this location

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