State Route 66 is a state-maintained highway in eastern Tennessee

East Tennessee

East Tennessee is a name given to approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely...

, including a four-lane divided highway segment in Sevier County

Sevier County, Tennessee

Sevier County is a county of the state of Tennessee, United States. Its population was 71,170 at the 2000 United States Census. It is included in the Sevierville, Tennessee, Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Knoxville-Sevierville-La Follette, TN Combined Statistical Area. The...

 and a two-lane segment through mountainous terrain to the northeast.

Route description

The four-lane portion of State Route 66 extends from 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...

 in the north and ends at U.S. Highway 441 and U.S. Highway 411 in Sevierville

Sevierville, Tennessee

Sevierville is a city in Sevier County, Tennessee, located in the Southeastern United States. Its population was 11,757 at the 2000 United States Census; in 2004 the estimated population was 14,101. Sevierville is the county seat of Sevier County, Tennessee....

  It is a popular route for tourists traveling to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a United States National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain. The border between Tennessee and North...

. This route is part of the Great Smoky Mountains Parkway

Great Smoky Mountains Parkway

The Great Smoky Mountains Parkway runs 23.5 miles from Interstate 40 at exit 407 in Sevierville, Tennessee, south to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park...

.

The secondary Tennessee State Route 66 extends from U.S. Highway 25W/70 in Dandridge

Dandridge, Tennessee

Dandridge is a town in Jefferson County, Tennessee, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County. It is part of the Morristown, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area....

 to Tennessee State Route 31 just south of Sneedville

Sneedville, Tennessee

Sneedville is a town in Hancock County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,387 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Hancock County.- History :...

, crossing U.S. Highway 11E in Morristown

Morristown, Tennessee

Morristown is a city in, and the county seat of, Hamblen County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 29,137 at the 2010 United States Census. It is the principal city of the Morristown, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Grainger, Hamblen and Jefferson counties...

. Between Dandridge and Morristown it is a two-laned curvy road over moderately mountainous terrain. It then follows U.S. Highway 11E to Bulls Gap, Tennessee

Bulls Gap, Tennessee

Bulls Gap is a town in Hawkins County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 714 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Kingsport–Bristol –Bristol Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport–Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical...

, where it turns to the north as a Primary highway going into Rogersville, Tennessee

Rogersville, Tennessee

Rogersville is a town in Hawkins County, Tennessee, United States. It was settled in 1775 by the grandparents of Davy Crockett and is the second-oldest town in the state. It is named for its founder, Joseph Rogers....

. Then it veers northwesterly, as a secondary highway again, until its terminus at Tennessee State Route 31 just south of Sneedville, Tennessee. This section of Tennessee State Route 66 is around 60 miles (96.6 km).

Theoretically, the two segments are linked by US Highway 25W/70 and Interstate 40, but the route is not signed on this segment.

Future

There are currently plans to expand TN 66 from Interstate 40 to US 441/411. This has been divided into 3 separate sections, each of which will be expanded at different times. When completed, this route will be a six-lane divided highway. The section closest to Sevierville will be expanded first, followed by the section closest to Interstate 40. The middle section will be expanded last. The first portion, currently under construction from Boyds Creek Highway to Nichols Street, will be completed in 2011.