Tennessee

Paris

Type	Description	Date
	My hometown of Paris appears on a BGS at only a few interchanges that I know of. This is one of them, on TN 22 in McKenzie.	2006-08-06
	Brand new US 641 and TN 54 shields on the square in Paris. Note that the state route shield is suffering from the effects of "desktop" sign production--no longer is the state outline a faithful representation of the actual state shape, nor is the font the same as it once was. This appears to be an "artist's conception" of how the sign is really defined. The same has been done to the Scenic Parkway shield. Finally, the directional banner with the larger initial letter is now being adopted in Tennessee.	2007-11-01
	These shields are at the corner of Memorial Dr (US 641) and Highway 77 in Paris. I drove by them one day and opted to not take a photo of them. That night a cold front came through, and the accompanying strong winds twisted them away from the road! I had to walk up the sidewalk to see them. The trailblazer at the top indicates this is a "Tennessee Scenic Parkway," a moniker assigned to many routes during the 1980s. In my opinion, it's not very scenic.	2003-11-24
	East Wood St. in Paris is signed as TN Secondary 356. I'm not sure why the state numbered the route, as it is very short and seemingly unimportant except on a local scale. I speculate that it is because the road connects US 641 and US 79, two heavily-used highways. This post carries a smaller Scenic Parkway trailblazer; again, I don't really understand why. Possibly because it passes by the historic Henry County Courthouse.	2003-11-25
	The Shield That Time Forgot. TN 76 has not been signed through Henry County since the 1960s. This sign must be at least that old. Located on Clayton Town Rd. near the Buchanan Post Office.	2003-11-23
	At the intersection of Elkhorn and Oak Grove Roads in southeast Henry County, this ancient "Rural Road Project" sign can be found. It has aged nicely.	2006-07-30

Nashville & Davidson County

Type	Description	Date
	At I-40, exits 201A-B, BGS gantry for Charlotte Pike (US 70) in West Nashville.	2003-10-25
	I-40 exit 205, 46th Avenue.	2003-10-25
	BGSes on Briley Parkway in the Opryland area. Not a good photo. You may be able to tell that the word 'Mills' was squeezed in to the right of 'Opry' after Opryland closed and the name of the road was changed to reflect the new attraction, a mall. I believe the sign has since been replaced with a more professional-looking one.	2001-12-22
	Sign gantry, Briley Pkwy exits 14A-B.	2001-12-22
	Briley Pkwy exit 3B, I-24. Sometimes Tennessee's exit signs illustrate the shape of the ramp. Here the curve is visible on both the overhead and the gore sign.	2003-12-21
	Briley Pkwy was under construction in the airport area in 2003-04. Some of the signs there have been taken down and replaced with "disposable" signs like this one.	2003-12-21
	Truck line Averitt Express has a major terminal in Nashville. This special exit appears near the beginning of Briley Parkway. The blue sign is typical of the signs Tennessee places on overpasses to inform drivers of what's passing over their heads.	2003-12-21
	I-440 exit 5, junction with I-65.	2003-10-25
	Blurry photo, Briley exit 17, Brick Church Pike.	2003-12-21
	Shields for US 41 and 70S on 8th Ave South.	2003-10-25
	Five-way multiplex on 8th Avenue, downtown.	2003-10-25
	These interesting shields hang over the US 70S and TN 100 intersection in the Belle Meade area. I speculate that the left shield, showing Hwy. 100 as a secondary highway, was correct at the time it was installed. The state currently signs 100 as a primary route, using the square sign. The shields in this photo may be older than the primary/secondary program itself. Or, it may be a mistake. Who knows.	2003-12-21
	Wendy's isn't the only place you find Triple Stacks. A cluttered photo from midtown. I believe I-40 is on the top level.	2003-10-25
	Approaching Nashville proper on US 70 from the west, near Pegram, you encounter some great rock outcroppings. Combine these with fall colors on the hillsides and you get a nice photo opportunity.	2006-10-20

Cumberland Plateau

Type	Description	Date
	A view of some early-morning valley fog in Crossville, along US 127 just south of I-40.	2008-03-01
	US 70 is the only US highway split into 'N' and 'S' segments. Both segments are entirely within Tennessee. The eastern terminus of 70N is at US 127 in downtown Crossville.	2008-03-01
	Shield for US 127 Alternate in Crossville. I am not sure where this goes or how long it is. Note that Tennessee normally signs alternate routes with an "A", not the separate "Alternate" shield.	2008-03-01
	TN Secondary 101 shield, Crossville.	2008-03-01
	A view of the loooooong descent heading south on US 127 in the vicinity of the border between Cumberland and Bledsoe Counties. The road is consistently this steep for about two miles.	2008-03-01
	Guidance for trucks approaching the TN 8-TN 111 interchange on US 127. The "27" actually is printed on a cutout shield, as would be used on a BGS, but you almost cannot see it at all.	2008-03-01
	TN 8 and 111 shields, Dunlap. TN 8 is one of the few single-digit state routes that stays signed for a significant length.	2008-03-01
	At the US 127/TN 111 interchange. This is a standards-skirting BGS. The strangest part is the odd shape of Tennessee inside the route shield.	2008-03-01
	This sign is supposed to protect a bridge by dramatically warning drivers that their trucks are too tall to pass underneath it. Looks like it works. Kimball.	2008-03-01
	The elusive single-digit state route makes a rare appearance in Kimball. TN Secondary 2 is the unsigned designation of US 41 between Murfreesboro and Chattanooga. Presumably this part is a former alignment of US 41, and is thus signed with the old designation.	2008-03-01
	Overheads on US 72 on the outskirts of South Pittsburg.	2008-03-01
	I-40 exit 317, US 127. (photo scan)	2002-03-10

Chattanooga

Type	Description	Date
	Welcome to Tennessee. GA 193 becomes TN 17.	2008-05-10
	First TN 17 shield heading north from Georgia. Cyclists frequent this route, thanks to its bike lanes.	2008-05-10
	Near the TN 17/TN 58 junction (southern terminus of TN 58). Goodbye bike lane.	2008-05-10
	Old railroad bridge over Broad St (TN 17) at the foot of Lookout Mountain.	2008-05-10
	Chattanooga is loaded with US routes--and this isn't even all of them! Broad Street.	2008-05-10
	Tourist destinations in BGS form.	2008-05-10
	TN 17 and TN 58 signed together as the Lookout Mountain Parkway.	2008-05-10
	Descending the mountain, drivers are presented with these options. It's almost as if they want you to leave town. This sign appears to be built from an interstate-style BGS blank, complete with exit tab (used for the afterthought).	2008-05-10
	Western terminus of US 76, downtown.	2008-05-10
	The John Ross Bridge, which carries Market St (TN 8) over the Tennessee. Pedestrian-friendly.	2009-03-07

Elsewhere

Type	Description	Date
	US 70 and TN 22 Business shields on the square in Huntingdon. These use the new-style directional banners.	2007-01-01
	At the junction of TN 22, TN 431, and US 45E just outside Martin, where northbound 22 and 45E bypass the city. I believe TN 431 follows the former route of TN 22 through the business districts, and continues west (north) to Union City.	2007-07-18
	TN 43 is a hidden co-designation of the route of US 45E. It is signed only in South Fulton and here, as the western half of the bypass around Martin. 45E follows a more central route through the city.	2007-07-18
	TN 431 is known as Reelfoot Ave. through Union City, and this is its exit from the TN 22 freeway. Reelfoot was a Indian chief of legend with a deformed foot, hence the English name. The avenue is named either for nearby Reelfoot Lake, or for the Reelfoot Packing Company, which once operated a pork rendering plant located in Union City.	2007-07-18
	Overhead signage on the north side of the Union City bypass (TN 22). Note the wrong-way multiplex, TN 214 North and US 45W South. This allows access to downtown.	2007-07-18
	TN 51 is a controlled-access highway between Union City and Dyersburg. In Dyersburg, one can use I-155 to reach I-55 in the Missouri Bootheel, for the purposes of reaching, as the sign says, St Louis.	2007-07-18
	I-155 "straight ahead." Dyersburg.	2007-07-18
	The eastern terminus of I-155. For its entire length, I-155 is cosigned with US 412.	2007-07-18
	I-155 Tennesee Exit 2, TN 181. This carries the Great River Road through Dyer County.	2007-07-18
	Apparently the City of Savannah doesn't want trucks going through downtown. I spotted these coming into the city on TN 128.	2003-11-21
	TN Secondary 226 shield, on TN 128 in Hardin County.	2003-11-21
	TN Secondary 69 and 22A shields, Milledgeville. Alternate state routes are very rare in Tennessee.	2003-11-21
	END TN 69 shield at I-40 in Decatur County. This is where TN 69 becomes US 641 and supposedly ends. Actually, it is a hidden multiplex with 641 until it reaches Downtown Paris, where it follows TN 54 for a couple of miles, then reappears as a secondary highway and heads northwest to the Kentucky line.	2003-11-21
	Shields for TN 13 and US 70 in downtown Waverly.	2006-10-20
	Distance sign on TN 69, Decatur County. The distance to Paris is incorrect. I know for a fact it's 19 miles from Paris to Camden. Possibly, the digits are reversed.	2003-11-21
	New BGS for TN 840, Nashville's future outer loop. Located at I-40 exit 176 near Dickson. I assume that when (if) the loop is entirely finished, the designation 'Local Traffic' will be changed to 'Clarksville / Murfreesboro' or something along those lines.	2003-10-25
	I-24 Exit 1, TN 48, Montgomery County. This sign is literally falling apart.	2004-03-15
	Sign gantry for US 45 and 64 in Selmer, mounted above 45.	2003-12-11
	Signage for the same intersection in Selmer, this time viewed from 64.	2006-08-02
	Coming into Huntingdon, headed north on TN 22. The US 70 shield appears to have been laid out with Series E lettering, so it looks a bit odd.	2003-12-11
	Leaving Huntingdon on 22 South, here's what you see.	2006-08-02
	At the junction of US 45 and 45W, in the community of Three Way (presumably named for the intersection). This was taken heading south on 45E, just before "the curve." Below this interchange, US 45 is one route for only a few miles, until sprouting US 45 Bypass through the city of Jackson.	2003-12-17
	Shields for TN Highways 54, 89, 118 in downtown Dresden.	2005-09-17
	TN 54 mis-signed as a secondary highway in Dresden.	2007-07-18
	TN 54 "ends" (note the "s") at TN 105 in Bradford. I believe that here, TN 54 is actually secondary, so this is not a mistake like the Dresden shield.	2005-09-17
	Single-digit state highways are extremely rarely signed in Tennessee. Usually they are part of a hidden multiplex for their entire length. However, when you get near the state line, often they will divert from the route they are hidden under, and you see the signs. In Union City, US 45W divests itself of TN 5 just miles from the Kentucky border.	2005-07-30
	US 79 and TN 105 shields in Trezevant. The double arrow under the right shield is a fairly common feature at intersections in Tennessee.	2003-12-01
	Shield for TN Secondary 142, Selmer.	2003-10-24
	Shields for US 64 and TN Secondary 117, Adamsville.	2006-08-02
	Odd arrangement of route shields at the intersection of TN 50 and TN 243, Columbia.	2008-05-16
	Guide signs at junction of TN 22 and 57, Eastview. The road construction sign incorrectly shows TN 57 as a secondary highway. I think it's likely that a bridge is being replaced, since the sign warns of a width restriction. In the background are directions to nearby state parks.	2003-10-24
	Intersection of US 43 and US 412 with TN 50 west of Columbia. This is the northern end of US 43.	2008-05-18
	The city of Clarksville named one of its main routes for olympic gold medalist and Clarksville native Wilma Rudolph. This sign informs traffic leaving I-24 of this fact. On the left end of the sign is a logo the city uses for promotional materials, and puts on some street signs. It reflects the old buildings and steep hills found in the city's downtown area.	2004-03-15
	Unusual usage of Series A lettering on a TN route shield in Columbia.	2008-05-18
	The interesting junction of TN Highways 22 and 100 in southern Henderson County. It's a four-way stop involving a complex system of stop and yield signs that probably confuses a lot of travelers. I have obtained an overhead photo of the site to better illustrate the wackiness of this intersection. The additions I've made to it are accurate to the best of my knowledge.	2004-01-09
	TN 7 is only signed for a short segment between I-65 and the Alabama line in Giles County. To the south, US 31 is multiplexed with I-65; it joins TN 7 here but takes all the credit for the remainder of its mileage through Tennessee.	2008-05-18
	Signs posted by construction crews are always crazy. Columbia.	2008-06-20
	The town of Ardmore is split between Tennessee and Alabama. This shows that succinctly: street blades showing an Alabama highway (53) intersecting with a Tennesee highway (110). AL 53 becomes TN 7 in this area; TN 110 goes to Fayetteville.	2008-08-01
	Residential streets make up the truck route of TN 7 through Ardmore, due to a low railroad bridge which hangs over a sharp dip in the primary route.	2008-08-01
	Though tiny, Lynchburg and Moore County are one and the same. This is the entrance as seen on TN 50.	2008-10-04
	TN 55 and TN 50 junction in Lynchburg proper. For some reason the state seems to have laid out the TN 55 sign as though it were a speed limit sign, with Series E lettering. Also these signs seem to be covered in coal dust or something.	2008-10-04

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