Tennessee State Route 155
State Route 155 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Briley Parkway Thompson Lane White Bridge Road | ||||
SR 155 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by TDOT | ||||
| Length | 35.1 mi (56.5 km) | |||
| History | Completed in 1997 | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| Loop around Nashville | ||||
| west end | US 70S near Belle Meade | |||
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| east end | US 31 in Oak Hill | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Tennessee | |||
| Counties | Davidson | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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State Route 155 (SR 155), mostly designated as Briley Parkway, is a major state highway that forms a beltway around Nashville, Tennessee. The northern portion of the route is a freeway that, combined with I-440 to the south, forms a circular controlled-access bypass around downtown Nashville. The southern portion of the road is split into two major surface arterial roads called Thompson Lane to the south and White Bridge Road to the southwest. Both of these roads are connected by Woodmont Boulevard, which is not part of SR 155, but, combined, forms a complete loop. SR 155 has a total length 35.1 miles (56.5 km).
Briley Parkway, named in honor of former Nashville mayor Beverly Briley, serves as the primary means of access to the Grand Ole Opry House, Opry Mills, and the Opryland Hotel east of downtown Nashville. It crosses the Cumberland River twice, once near Madison, and again on the west side of Nashville, near the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution and John C. Tune Airport. On the southeast portion of the loop, Briley Parkway passes Nashville International Airport. Along its length, the road provides access to multiple Interstate, U.S., and state highways.
SR 155 was first established around 1956 for Thompson Lane. Briley Parkway initially began as a project managed by the Nashville city government, with the first section opening in 1961. Most of the eastern segment was constructed in the 1960s, and some additional progress was made over the following decade. The city struggled to fund the project, and completion was further complicated by a number of factors including changing federal laws, public opposition, and failure to secure adequate federal and state funding sources. The state assumed control of the project in 1983, and the last section of Briley Parkway was completed in 1997. Between 1996 and 2011, much of SR 155 was widened, and several major interchanges were reconstructed and expanded in multiple phases.