Interstate 640 is a bypass of Interstate 40

Interstate 40

Interstate 40 is the third-longest major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90 and I-80. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina...

 running north of Knoxville, Tennessee

Knoxville, Tennessee

Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...

. For many years only about a two-mile (3 km) segment of it between State Route 33 (Broadway/Old Broadway exit) and U.S. Highway 25W (Clinton

Clinton, Tennessee

Clinton is a city in Anderson County, Tennessee, United States. Its population was 9,409 at the United States Census, 2000. It is the county seat of Anderson County. Clinton is included in the "Knoxville, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area".-Geography:...

 Highway exit) was open. Finally, the road was completed in anticipation of the traffic which was to be generated by the 1982 World's Fair

1982 World's Fair

The 1982 World's Fair, formally known as the Knoxville International Energy Exposition, was held in Knoxville, Tennessee, in the United States. The theme of the exposition was "Energy Turns the World."...

. For traffic going east on Interstate 40 which intends to turn northward on Interstate 75

Interstate 75

Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...

 which has greatly relieved congestion in downtown Knoxville. In 2009, a complete redesign near I-40 east of downtown added lanes, reconfigured exits and improved safety.

Exit list

# Exit number An exit number is a number assigned to a road junction, usually an exit from a freeway. It is usually marked on the same sign as the destinations of the exit, as well as a sign in the gore....	Destinations	Notes
		Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; West end of I-75 overlap
1
3B		West end of US-25W/SR-9 overlap
3	, Lexington Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...	East end of I-75 overlap
6
8	Washington Pike, Mall Road South, Mall Road North, Millertown Pike
	, Asheville Asheville, North Carolina Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; East end of US-25W/SR-9 overlap