Interstate 840 Tennessee

Overview

Originally envisioned as a 187 mile long beltway encircling the Nashville metropolitan area, Interstate 840 connects I-40 near Dickson with I-40 near Lebanon. The beltway was proposed as a solution for regional traffic needs so that the existing Nashville freeways could better support local traffic. Similar to the outer beltway (Grand Parkway / SH 99) around Houston, I-840 forms a complete bypass of the metropolitan area, providing a through route for the movement of goods and services. Critics of the beltway contended that the new road would open up land for unchecked commercial and residential development.

Interstate designation for SR 840 was planned originally, but later withdrawn because funding was derived from Tennessee state sources such as gas and diesel taxes, license plate renewal fees and other highway user fees.¹ The route was incorporated into then-governor Lamar Alexander's 1986 "Bicentennial Parkway" road program.⁴ An application to the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) to upgrade the state route to Interstate 840, however, was approved on May 15, 2015.⁸

TDOT received final approval from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to officially designate all of SR 840 as I-840 in August 2016.⁶ The change in designation will allow further economic growth along the I-840 corridor and encourage more traffic diversion around the central Nashville area. Signage along the corridor was erected starting in mid August 2016. With a $230,000 price tag, sign conversion was to be completed by late 2016.⁶

TDOT announced that plans for SR 840 north of Interstate 40 were placed on hold indefinitely on October 31, 2003. Lawsuits and complaints from homeowners and environmental groups along the planned corridor, coupled with discussion involving the overall need for the route, led to the cancellation of the project at that time.² No follow up work has taken place.

Mileage by State

Tennessee

77.28 mi

Data Sources

December 31, 2025 Interstate Route Log and Finders List

History

I-40 at SR 840 air photo near Dickson, TN — Aerial image of the west end of then-SR 840. Although funding may never materialize, a freeway stub built at the western exchange of I-40/840 alludes to the proposed northern loop of State Route 840.

The origins of Tennessee State Route 840 date to 1975 with the recommendation for a beltway around Nashville in the 1975-79 Tennessee Highway System Plan.² By 1986, the route became official under a proposal from Governor Lamar Alexander, and the subsequent approval by the state legislature. The route was also included in the Tennessee Better Roads Program. Planning commenced from there in 1988, culminating with actual construction by 1991. Newspaper reports at the time referred to the beltway as Interstate 840 rather than State Route 840.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) requested that the proposed Interstate 840 be added to the Interstate Highway System in November 1991. This request was submitted to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in accordance with the provisions of 23 USC § 139(b). In January 1992, however, TDOT withdrew this request, and FHWA returned the Agreement for Interstate Highway Construction in the State of Tennessee without signing it. Interstate 840 then became "SR 840S."³

Construction progressed on the southern and eastern thirds of the beltway in four stages:

From Stewart's Ferry Pike near Gladeville to Interstate 40 - open August 1995
From Interstate 24 in Murfreesboro northeast to Stewart's Ferry Pike - open November 1996
From U.S. 31A and U.S. 41A near Triune in Williamson County to Interstate 24 - open November 2000
From Interstate 65 south of Franklin to U.S. 31A/41A - open October 2001

The total length of State Route 840 expanded to 47 miles at that point.^1,3

Map of Interstate 840 around the Nashville metropolitan area — The projected path of SR 840 north as envisioned by TDOT in 2003 included an overlap with I-40 in the vicinity of Lebanon. The southern half of the beltway was fully completed in 2012 while the northern half was canceled. The entire length of SR 840 was designated as Interstate 840 by August 2016 (TDOT, 2016).

In 1993, the General Assembly indicated that TDOT could consider the northern component of the beltway. The department of transportation followed with the release of an environmental impact statement in 1995. By 2003, due to the overall anticipated high costs both economically and socially with the corridor, it was recommended that TDOT withdraw plans to begin work on the northern half of SR 840. Instead attention was to be redirected to the expansion of the existing roadway network north of the city and further study of the northern half of the beltway discontinued.²

The western most portion of SR 840, between I-40 near Burns and SR 100 near Fairview, opened to traffic December 5, 2002.¹ This left the section between SR 100 and Interstate 65. Work on this portion began with a 6.1 mile, $44.2 million project between SR 100 and Bending Chestnut Road, just south of SR 46 (Pinewood Road) in July 2007.⁵ The Williamson County stretch opened following a ribbon cutting ceremony held on October 27, 2010.⁷

Separate projects focused on completing the 11.94 mile link between Bending Chestnut Road and U.S. 31 (Columbia Pike). $87.3 million in construction from Leipers Creek Road east to U.S. 31 (Columbia Pike) started in January 2009. Work on the freeway west from Leipers Creek Road to Bending Chestnut Road followed in March 2010.⁵ Governor Bill Haslam led a ribbon cutting ceremony at Burwood by the SR 246 interchange to formally open the road on November 2, 2012. The beltway cost $753 million to build,⁶ up from the $351 million projected in 1986.²

East End ‐ Lebanon, TN

East at

Interstate 840 travels northward on the final approach to I-40 on the outskirts of Lebanon. 06/11/17

East at

I-40 bee lines east through Tucker Gap on the approach to Exit 235 with Interstate 840 west. 06/10/17

West at

One half mile east of the trumpet interchange (Exit 235) with Interstate 840 along I-40 westbound. Photo by Carter Buchanan (06/11/17).

West End ‐ Dickson, TN

West at

01/15/19

East at

Interstate 840 branches southeast from I-40 in a rural area to the southeast of Dickson. 06/10/17

West at

Interstate 840 returns to I-40 westbound, one half mile ahead at Exit 176 near the town of Burns. Photo by Carter Buchanan (06/11/17).

References

Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). State Route 840. Retrieved from http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/information-office/HotProjects/SR840/
Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). (2003, October 31). TDOT Announces Decision on State Route 840 North.
Center for Transportation Research at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, page 11. August 2003. Tennessee Department of Transportation 15 Project Case Study: Project Assessment Final Report State Route 840 South. Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20080601000000*/http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/news/2003/listening/State Route 840 South.pdf
"New Nashville bypass to help Memphis drivers" The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) October 31, 2012.
Gilfillan, K. (2012, November 2). 840 complete 26 years after project began. Williamson Scene. Retrieved from https://www.williamsonhomepage.com/franklin/news/840-complete-26-years-after-project-began/article_c533ab12-12a4-5bce-ace2-29cef4bc18a5.html
Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). (2016, August 12). Tennessee Adds New 77 Miles of Highway to Interstate System. [Press release]. Retrieved from https://tn.gov/tdot/news/44772
Tennessee Government. (2010, October 22). Governor Bredesen Opens New Section of State Route 840. [Press release]. Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20130416232012/http://news.tn.gov/node/6253
AASHTO. Retrieved from http://route.transportation.org/Documents/05 14 2015 Cheyenne, WY Report/Revised Application Prop Designation of I-840.pdf

Updated May 18, 2022