TDOT Centennial - First State Road sign

(Commentary from 2015)

2015 marks 100 years since the formation of the Tennessee Department of Transportation. As they celebrate the Centennial, they have hosted several celebrations around the state. These included a travelling roadshow museum and placing some time capsules. On July 1st, they will unveil a new Zero Mile Marker at Bicentennial Mall.

TDOT has also placed several signs commemorating the First State Road in Tennessee. With the goal to connect opposite corners of the state, the Memphis-to-Bristol Highway was born. Then, when highway numbering became common, the highway was known as State Route 1.

These days, you generally haven't seen signs for SR1. Most segments of this important road became federal highways. For instance, in LaVergne, where this sign was placed in May 2015, SR1 is also US70S and US41. Until these signs were unveiled, most modern travelers wouldn't know it was SR1, unless their map or GPS labelled it that way.

As a side note, these signs mark what is currently State Route 1. Vast segments of the original Memphis-to-Bristol Highway have been replaced by more modern highway segments that can carry more traffic at faster speeds. There is a part of me as a highway historian that wishes they would have notated all of the original two lane curvy segments, but if you tried to drive the whole thing, it might take a whole week. For example, here in LaVergne, Murfreesboro Road is the modern highway. The original segment is the Old Nashville Highway. Even still, I am thrilled that these signs are going up statewide.

Cumberland City Ferry

As a kid, my mom once took me along on an errand run. Along the way, she took me way out of the way to get where we were going. She had us cross the Cumberland River at the Old Hickory Blvd. Ferry. After we had crossed, she told me, "We came this was so you could ride on the ferry. You may never ride on one again." I wish that I had been old enough to appreciate it.

It's tough for a ferry to remain open these days. If the traffic slows down, the ferry goes out of business. If the traffic gets busier, the locals ask the state to build a bridge. I've been to many former ferry sites in Tennessee, but as of now, only two remain. (The other is the Danville Ferry, about 20 miles from here, which crosses the Tennessee River near Big Sandy.)

This ferry is located at the town of Cumberland City in Stewart County. The ferry allows highways TN46 & TN233 to cross the Cumberland River seven days a week. A one way ride costs a dollar, but locals get a discount.. Even this ferry "Patience" replaced an older ferry: www.tn.gov/tdot/article/ferryservices-cumberlandcityferry

Watch my video of the crossing: www.youtube.com/watch?v=88WjqYPDTGY

Tennessee Zero Milestone

When you're on the highway and it says that Nashville is 37 miles away, it means you are 37 miles from this marker, which notes, "Distances on state highways measured from this point." TDOT placed this marker at Bicentennial Mall State Park when it opened in 1996.

The original Zero Milestone was placed om May 12, 1924 at the corner of Union Street and Sixth Ave. in Downtown. Later it was relocated in front of the highway department's new building on Charlotte Ave. Later, a new TDOT building was built and this multi-ton stone was misplaced. The new zero milestone seen here was added to the park after an extensive search for the original yielded no results.