View source for Tennessee State Route 79

{{Short description|State highway in Tennessee, United States}}
{{Infobox road
|state=TN
|type=Dual
|route=79
|alternate_name=
|maint=[[Tennessee Department of Transportation|TDOT]]
| map={{maplink-road|from=Tennessee State Route 79.map}}
|map_custom=yes
|map_notes=SR 79; primary in red, secondary in blue
|length_mi=10.37
|length_round=
|length_ref=<ref name="pavecond">[http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/materials/pavement/Documents/Region4(All%20Counties)(PROTECTED).xls TDOT Region 4 Pavement Condition Data]</ref>
| established=1947
| direction_a=West
| terminus_a=Dead end at [[Mississippi River]] at [[Hathaway, Tennessee|Hathaway]]
|junction={{jct|state=TN|TN|181|GRR}} near [[Cottonwood Grove, Tennessee|Cottonwood Grove]]
|direction_b=East
|terminus_b={{jct|state=TN|TN|78}} near [[Ridgely, Tennessee|Ridgely]]
|counties=[[Lake County, Tennessee|Lake]]
|previous_type=US
|previous_route=79
|next_type=TN
|next_route=80
}}
'''State Route 79''' ('''SR 79''') is a {{convert|10.37|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} state highway in southwestern [[Lake County, Tennessee|Lake County]], [[Tennessee]].  SR 79 has a dual primary and secondary designation<ref name="maps">[[Tennessee Department of Transportation]] [http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/Maps/county/default.htm County Maps] and [http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/Maps/city/ City Maps]</ref> and is one of a few state routes in Tennessee to have an [[Construction aggregate|aggregate]] (gravel) road surface.
==Route description==
The western terminus of SR 79 is located at the [[Mississippi River]] (Island 15) in the extreme southwestern portion of Lake County, Tennessee and travels across low-lying areas that are subject to flooding from the [[Mississippi River]].  SR 79 from its western terminus (mile 0.00) to mile 6.66 has been repeatedly damaged by seasonal flooding and as a result TDOT uses gravel, crushed stone, sand and dirt to rebuild the road surface when it has been damaged from flooding.  This section is [[Unsigned highway|unsigned]] in the field. At mile 6.66, SR 79 crosses the federal levee to its eastern terminus near [[Ridgely, Tennessee]].
==History==
SR 79 was known as Powell Ferry Road prior to its designation as a state route and served the Powell [[Ferry]] (also known as the Pemiscot Ferry) that crossed the Mississippi River to [[Caruthersville, Missouri]], where it continued west as [[Missouri Route 84]].<ref name=1939MOmap>{{Cite map|url=https://www.modot.org/sites/default/files/documents/1939%5B1%5D.pdf|title=Map of Missouri Showing State Road System|publisher=Missouri State Highway Commission|cartography=Missouri State Highway Commission|year=1939|section=I9|access-date=May 1, 2023}}</ref> This ferry began service in 1895 and was operated by Lee Line Steamers.<ref name=ferry>[http://www.rootsweb.com/~mopemis2/towns/1904.htm Rootsweb MOGENWEB, 1904 Pemiscot County]</ref> Ferry service was discontinued by the mid-1970s.
The roadway geometry of SR 79 has been changed very little since its designation as a state highway with the only major change being at the junction of SR 79 and [[Tennessee State Route 181|SR 181]].<ref name="aerial">[http://msrmaps.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=10&Z=16&X=1358&Y=20059&W=2&qs=%7cRidgely%7cTN%7c Aerial photo of SR 79 & SR 181 intersection] from [[USGS]] via [[Microsoft Research Maps]]</ref>
==Major intersections==
{{jcttop|state=TN|county=Lake|length_ref=<ref name=DeLorme>retrieved from [[DeLorme]] [[Street Atlas USA]]</ref>}}
{{TNint
|location=Hathaway
|mile=0.0
|road=Dead end at [[Mississippi River]]
|notes=Western terminus; SR 79 begins as an unsigned secondary highway
}}
{{TNint
|location=none
|type=concur
|mile=6.6
|road={{jct|state=TN|TN|181|GRR||dir1=south|to3=yes|I|155}}
|notes=SR 79 becomes a signed primary highway; northern terminus of SR 181; western end of Great River Road concurrency
}}
{{TNint
|location=none
|type=concur
|mile=10.3
|road={{jct|state=TN|TN|78|GRR||dir2=north|city1=Tiptonville|city2=Dyersburg}}
|notes=Eastern terminus; SR 79 ends as a primary highway; provides access to [[Reelfoot Lake State Park]] and [[Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge]]
}}
{{jctbtm|keys=concur}}
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{commons category|Tennessee State Route 79}}
{{Attached KML}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071221080126/http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/ Tennessee Department of Transportation]
* [http://web5.ecsis.net/~lmoore/TNGEN/communities/hathaway.html Hathaway, TN History]
[[Category:State highways in Tennessee|079]]
[[Category:Transportation in Lake County, Tennessee]]
{{Tennessee-road-stub}}