page_title: Interstate 40 in Tennessee
section_title: Nashville
hierarchical_section_title: Interstate 40 in Tennessee / Route description / Middle Tennessee / Nashville
caption_attribution_description: English: Interstate 40 @ Beckwith
context_page_description: Interstate 40 traverses the entirety of the state of Tennessee from west to east, running from the Mississippi River at the Arkansas border to the northern base of the Great Smoky Mountains at the North Carolina border. The road connects Tennessee's three largest cities—Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville—and crosses all of Tennessee's physiographical provinces and Grand Divisions—the Mississippi Embayment and Gulf Coastal Plain in West Tennessee, the Highland Rim and Nashville Basin in Middle Tennessee, and the Cumberland Plateau, Appalachian Valley and Ridge Province, and Blue Ridge Province in East Tennessee. The Tennessee section of I-40 is 452 miles long, the longest of any state on the route.
context_section_description: Around milepost 191, I-40 enters Davidson County, and a few miles later crosses the Harpeth River for a third time. About a mile later, near
  Bellevue, I-40 widens to six lanes, entering the urban outskirts of Nashville, and has an interchange with US 70S. Three miles later is an exit with SR 251 (Old Hickory Boulevard), and 2 miles (3.2 km) later is an interchange with US 70. Widening to eight lanes, three miles later is an interchange with SR 155 (Briley Pkwy, White Bridge Road), including the western terminus of the northern controlled-access beltway around Nashville. About two miles later is the western terminus of I-440, the southern loop around central Nashville. Two miles later, I-40 enters Downtown Nashville, and begins a brief concurrency with I-65, turning southeast. As part of the route around downtown Nashville known locally as the Downtown Loop, the two concurrent routs have interchanges with US 70 (Charlotte Avenue) and US 70S/431 (Broadway), as well as two surface streets, Church Street and Demonbreun Street. About two miles later the two concurrent routes turn east northeast, and I-65 splits off and heads south. Briefly on its own for about 1 mile (1.6 km), I-40 crosses a long viaduct, and has an interchange with US 31A/41A (4th Avenue, 2nd Avenue), before beginning a brief concurrency with I-24 and turning southeast. About 2 miles (3.2 km) later, I-24 splits off, and I-40 turns east. The eastern terminus of I-440 is also directly accessible from the east bound lanes of I-40 at this interchange, and US 41, which crosses I-24 before this interchange, is also directly accessible from I-40 at this interchange.
  About 1.5 miles (2.4 km) later, I-40 has an interchange with SR 155 (Briley Parkway) near the Nashville International Airport, and about a mile later, the eastbound lanes have a direct access partial-y exit to a surface road to the airport. The westbound lanes of I-40 are only accessible from this interchange. Less than a half mile later is an exit with SR 255 (Donelson Pike), and beginning here, the left lanes of I-40 function as HOV lanes during rush hour. Passing near J. Percy Priest Dam, I-40 has an interchange with Stewarts Ferry Pike, then crosses the Stones River, and has an interchange with SR 45 (Old Hickory Boulevard). Also at this interchange is a separate partial y interchange which provides access to SR 45 via a bypass which junctions with SR 45 about ³⁄₄ mile (1.2 km) north of I-40. This bypass is only accessible via the eastbound lanes of I-40, and the westbound lanes are only accessible from it. About 3 miles (4.8 km) later, I-40 enters Wilson County, and few miles later has an interchange with SR 171 near the Nashville suburb of Mount Juliet. Six miles later is an interchange with SR 109, which connects to Gallatin.  About 3 miles (4.8 km) later and about 25 miles (40 km) east of Nashville, the route narrows back to four lanes and has an interchange with the eastern terminus of I-840 a few miles east of Lebanon. I-40 the enters Lebanon and has interchanges with US 231 and US 70.
caption: I-40 near Mount Juliet, east of Nashville
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