With the opening of the Anderson Street bridge over the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks a few years ago, the rerouting of US 421 in the downtown area began its journey through the State of Tennessee, Commonwealth of Virginia, and the Federal Highway Administration.
For you locals, you'll recall all the twists and turns as the road wound its way through the central business district in the past. Not so anymore - the new route through the downtown is Commonwealth Boulevard/Volunteer Parkway to Anderson Street to the Anderson Street Bridge, connecting to Pennsylvania Avenue. And the reverse if you're northbound.
US 421 is one of the great roads before the dawn of the interstate system. It runs over 900 miles from near the shores of Lake Michigan to the Atlantic Ocean in North Carolina. And of course an important midway point is here in Bristol.
I had the opportunity this past week to jog the mother road of the early highway system - US Route 66. Immortalized in song and TV, the road runs 2,500 miles from Chicago to LA (are you humming yet?) It's now Historic Route 66 in many areas since its removal from the federal highway system 25 years ago - hence a safe and pleasant jogging route.
Get your kicks on Route 66 - and US 421 too. Just be careful - it's still a major roadway serving our community. peace
