US 421
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From:  North Carolina State Line at Trade (Johnson County)
To:  Virginia State Line at Bristol (Sullivan County)
Total Length:
43.3 miles
Nationally US 421 runs from Ft Fisher NC to US 20 Michigan City IN




ROUTE LOG
NC STATE LINE: 0 - 0
TN 67 EB: 0.8 - 0.8
TN 167: 7.7 - 8.5
TN 418: 1.6 - 10.1
TN 67 WB, TN 418: 0.7 - 10.8
TN 91 NB: 0.6 - 11.4
TN 91 SB, TN 133: 10.3 - 21.7
Sullivan-Johnson Line: 2.7 - 24.4
TN 44 NB: 9.4 - 33.8
TN 435: 1.6 - 35.4
TN 44 SB: 2.7 - 38.1
TN 394, TN 435: 1.8 - 39.9
US 11E SB, US 19 SB, TN 1 Begin, TN 34 WB: 3.2 - 43.1
TN 1 WB: 0.2 - 43.3
VA STATE LINE: 0 - 43.3
Creation: Actually appeared in 1932, running from the North Carolina line at Trade through Mountain City to the Virginia line at Bristol. This was a renumbering of US 321. North Carolina first tried to get US 421 extended west in 1930 from Boone to Johnson City. In Tennessee this would've come in with US 19E to Elizabethton, then with TN 91 to Johnson City. North Carolina then thought US 421 should be renumbered as US 44 or US 72, as they apparently didn't own any maps to consult).

1931 Virginia Official
US 321 original route in Tennessee
1931 Virginia Official
1932 Official
US 421 replaces US 321
1932 Official

Adjustments: Around 1949, US 421 was removed from Arnold Way/Pemberton Rd plus Old Shady Rd/abandoned alignment/Baines Dr in Holston Valley; US 421 was also given its modern South Holston Lake routing, leaving behind an extended TN 44, Knob Park Rd, underwater routing southeast, Jacob Park Rd where it leaves an arm of the lake, a little Denton Valley Rd, and abandoned routing s-se back to current US 421 at Jacks Corner.

1938 Sullivan County
US 421/TN 34 original routing east of Holston Valley
1938 Sullivan County
1955 Sullivan County
US 421/TN 34 rebuilt much further south to accommodate the lake
1955 Sullivan County

In 1952, US 421 was put on one-way splits in Bristol with NB using State St (original routing) and SB using 9th St (now Volunteer Pkwy), Shelby St and 4th St (now Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Dr) back to State St.
In 1954, US 421 was placed on a bypass of Mountain City leaving behind TN 91 Main St plus Church St (now both roads are TN 418); US 421 was also removed from Crossroads Dr between Mountain City and just east of TN 167
In 1956, TN US 421 was rebuilt east of current TN 167 and removed from Rhea Rd (no longer connects to)/Old Prison Camp Rd; Dowell Loop; P Snyder Rd; Drakes Creek Loop; Poplar Ridge Rd
Between 1965-69, US 421 was removed from Hazelwood St, Carolina Ave and Holston Valley Pike in eastern Bristol
In 1967, US 421 was removed from most of State St, entering Virginia at Goodson St.

1955 Sullivan County
US 421 put on one-way pair in Bristol
1955 Sullivan County
1969 Sullivan County
US 421 straightened out in eastern Bristol
1969 Sullivan County

In 1985, US 421 was removed from Bristol Caverns Hwy east of Bristol (now TN 435); also US 421 was returned to using State St to enter Virginia at MLK Jr Dr.
About 2008, US 421 was removed from Pennsylvania Ave and State St (became TN 473 for a time) in Bristol to instead use the new Anderson St bridge, then MLK Jr Dr north to Virginia.
In 2011, US 421 was removed from MLK Jr Dr and instead followed TN 34 Anderson St to US 11E-19 and turned north there to get to Virginia.

1985 Sullivan County

US 421 removed from Bristol Caverns Hwy east of Bristol
1985 Sullivan County
2013 Sullivan County Traffic Map
US 421 stays on Anderson St all the way
2013 Sullivan County Traffic Map

Posting: Fully posted
Secret TN Route Overlay: TN 34 (43.1 mi)
TN 1 (0.2 mi)
Comment: US 421 between S. Holston Lake and Mountain City is quite gnarly and has not seen any alignment changes back to at least 1935.


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Page last modified 30 January 2021