| Tennessee State Secondary 323 (Pond Creek Road) intersects
Interstate 75 at Exit 68. Tennessee SSR 323 only applies to Pond Creek Road from Interstate 75 eastward
to U.S. 11. West of the diamond interchange, Pond Creek Road continues to Stockton Valley Road in rural environs.
The final Loudon County interchange serves the village of Philadelphia (pop. 533) at the U.S. 11 and Pond
Creek Road junction. Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| The first of two Sweetwater (pop. 5,586) area interchanges of
Interstate 75 in Monroe County is the Exit 62 junction with Tennessee State Secondary 322 (Oakland Road).
Oakland Road travels north-south out of Sweetwater from U.S. 11 (Main Street) northward to Stockton Valley
Road. The overpass beyond the one-mile guide sign carries Cedar Valley Road northward out of Sweetwater.
Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| Tennessee 68 interacts with Interstate 75 at the Exit 60
diamond interchange. The east-west highway travels between U.S. 27 near Spring City (pop. 2,025) and
Madisonville (pop. 3,939) at U.S. 411. Locally Tennessee 68 passes by Riddles Store and Sweetwater.
Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| Now in McMinn County, Interstate 75 approaches the Exit
56 diamond interchange with Tennessee State Secondary 309 (Union Grove Road). Union Grove Road carries the
state route northward from U.S. 11 (Wilson Street) at Niota (pop. 781) to Interstate 75 and Acme Hill.
Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| Interstate 75 southbound at Union Grove Road (Exit 56). The interchange
represents the north end of Tennessee State Secondary 309 and is one of three such routes that exist only to
link Interstate 75 with communities along the nearby U.S. 11 corridor. Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| Tennessee State Secondary 305 (Mt. Verd Road) intersects
Interstate 75 at Exit 52. The north-south roadway links Tennessee 68 with Interstate 75 and the city of
Athens (pop. 13,220). Tennessee SSR 305 ends in downtown Athens as Ingleside Avenue. Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| Also serving the city of Athens from Interstate 75 is Tennessee
30 (David Lillard Memorial Highway). Tennessee 30 travels ten miles to Decatur (pop. 1,395) and Tennessee 58
from the Exit 49 diamond interchange. Nine miles south of Athens, Tennessee 30 merges with U.S. 411 at
Etowah (pop. 3,663). Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| Interstate 75 southbound at Tennessee State Secondary
39 (Riceville Road). Tennessee SSR 39 travels two miles between U.S. 11 and Interstate 75 from the community
of Riceville. The highway is part of a longer route between Decatur (via Tennessee 30) and Athens (via
Business U.S. 11). The Variable Message Sign posted at the Exit 42 off-ramp is part of a series of
Intelligent Vehicle Highway System advisory signs and beacons along Interstate 75 between Chattanooga and
Interstate 40. These safety features were installed after a catastrophic 99 car pile up on December 11, 1990
at 9:10 am in which claimed 12 lives and caused 42 injuries near the town of Calhoun (Exit 36). Due to the
proximity to the Appalachian Mountains to the east, dense fog can and does develop all along the region of
southeastern Tennessee. When formed, the fog can reduce the visibility to zero miles, causing a dangerous
travel scenario for motorists. Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| Exit 25 represents the second of three interchanges for the
Bradley County seat of Cleveland (pop. 37,192). Tennessee 60 (25th Street) intersects the freeway via a partial
cloverleaf interchange north of the city center. The state highway becomes Georgetown Road north of the
city en route to Hopewell (pop. 1,815), Georgetown, and Birchwood. Tennessee 60 ends 24 miles to the north
at U.S. 27 near Dayton (pop. 6,180). Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| The final Bradley County interchange is that of Exit 20
with U.S. 74 (unsigned), U.S. 64 Bypass, and Landfill Road. U.S. 11 & 64 overlap along the Lee Highway through
Cleveland itself. U.S. 64 Bypass & U.S. 74 bypass the city to the south from U.S. 11 eastward to U.S. 64
(Waterlevel Highway). U.S. 74 westbound enters Interstate 75 southbound in hidden fashion. The roadway of
U.S. 74 becomes Landfill Road to the west. Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| At Exit 4, the north-south Tennessee 153 draws to a close.
The directional interchange features high-speed ramps between the two freeways. The southbound Tennessee
153 ramp to Interstate 75 southbound sees this overhead for nearby Exit 3B (Tennessee State Secondary 320).
Tennessee SSR 320 (E. Brainard Road) intersects Interstate 75 via a full cloverleaf interchange just south of
the Tennessee 153 southern terminus. Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| Reconstruction results in the expansion of the Interstate 75
freeway throughout eastern reaches of Chattanooga. Depicted here is the Tennessee 153 southbound merge onto
Interstate 75 at Exit 3B/A (E. Brainard Road). Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| Interstate 75 southbound expands to four lanes in preparation
for the Exit 2 Interstate 24 westbound beginning. Interstate 24 links the north-south freeway with Downtown
Chattanooga and Interstate 59 (18 miles to the west), thus composing a pivotal Interstate junction for
the Southeastern United States. Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| A second diagrammatical overhead for the Interstate 24 &
75 southbound split (Exit 2). Interstate 24 carries six lanes of travel eight miles west to the central
business district of Chattanooga. From there the freeway dips southward at Lookout Mountain (pop. 2000)
into the state of Georgia. A brief four mile venture into the Peach State includes the northern terminus
interchange of Interstate 59 (Exit 167). Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| Interstate 75 southbound at the partition with Interstate 24 west. Interstate 24 composes the main corridor between Chattanooga and the state capital of Nashville (pop. 545,524). In conjunction with Interstate 75, Interstate 24 represents an important link between the two fastest growing metropolitan areas of the South, Nashville and Atlanta. Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| After departing the Interstate 24 terminal interchange, Interstate 75 turns southeastward toward Atlanta, Georgia (pop. 416,474). The final Tennessee interchange of the highway is that of Exit 1 with U.S. 41 & 76 (Ringgold Road). The Interstate 24 eastbound on-ramp forms an exit-only lane for U.S. 41 & 76. Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| Interstate 75 southbound at the Ringgold Road partial cloverleaf interchange at East Ridge (pop. 20,640). U.S. 41 & 76 overlap from downtown Chattanooga southward to Dalton, Georgia (pop. 27,912). Interstate 75 crosses the Georgia state line in one half mile. Photo taken 08/23/03.
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Page Updated January 31, 2004.
