Tennessee State Route 386

State Route 386 (SR 386) is a major east–west state route, signed north-south, located in Davidson and Sumner counties in Tennessee. It is known as Vietnam Veterans Boulevard and serves as a bypass for U.S. Highway 31E (US 31E) and a connector to Hendersonville and Gallatin from Nashville. A majority of the route is a four-lane controlled-access highway.

State Route 386
Vietnam Veterans Boulevard
SR 386 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by TDOT
Length	17.24 mi (27.75 km)
Existed	1981–present
Major junctions
West end	I-65 in Goodlettsville
Major intersections	US 31E in Hendersonville SR 258 in Hendersonville US 31E in Hendersonville SR 174 in Gallatin SR 109 in Gallatin SR 25 in Gallatin
East end	US 31E / SR 25 / SR 174 in Gallatin
Location
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
Counties	Davidson, Sumner
Highway system
Tennessee State Routes Interstate US State
← SR 385 → SR 387

Route description

Western terminus of SR 386 on I-65 northbound

SR 386 begins at a two-way partial Y interchange with Interstate 65 (I-65) in Davidson County north of Nashville. The route is only accessible from I-65 northbound, and I-65 northbound is not directly accessible from SR 386 westbound. The route begins with a 70-mile-per-hour (110 km/h) speed limit in Davidson County, which reduces to 65 mph (105 km/h) upon entering Sumner County less than a mile (1.6 km) later. About two miles (3.2 km) later the route has a trumpet interchange with a connector to US 31E, signed as US 31E. The route then curves slightly to the southeast and enters the central part of Hendersonville and has interchanges with SR 258 (New Shackle Island Road), Indian Lake Boulevard, and Saundersville Road, before coming to a partial y interchange with US 31E in what was originally the eastern terminus of the route. As a result, SR 386 curves sharply to the north, crossing US 31E and a CSX railroad again, and curves to the northeast again, and enters a mix of an urban and rural area, coming to an interchange with Big Station Camp Boulevard about three miles (4.8 km) later. SR 386 then has an interchange with Green Lea Boulevard, and about 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) later it reaches an at-grade intersection with SR 174, where SR 386 ends. It is still listed in signs on SR 109 in Gallatin as a route to SR 386, in which travelers are intended to follow SR 174 (Long Hollow Pike) to SR 386.

Some maps list the portions of SR 174 and SR 25 in Gallatin as part of SR 386, although the official eastern terminus of SR 386 is at its intersection with SR 174.

US 31E hidden designation

U.S. Route 31E Bypass
Location	Hendersonville to Gallatin, Tennessee

From exit 2 to exit 9, SR 386 carries a hidden US 31E Bypass designation.

History

The route that is now SR 386 was originally proposed to provide more convenient means of transportation to Nashville for residents of Hendersonville, which had grown significantly in the 1960s and 1970s. The Hendersonville Transportation Study of 1978 listed 35 priority projects with the section through Hendersonville as number 1 and the connection to I-65 as number 2. A 1980 transportation study conducted for Nashville and Davidson County initiated the project.^[1]

Construction began on the first section, located in Hendersonville, in March 1981.^[2] This section, located between SR 258 (New Shackle Island Road) and US 31E, was completed in 1983, and the section between the US 31E connector and SR 258 was completed in 1987. These sections were initially referred to as the Hendersonville Bypass. Construction began on the extension to I-65 in 1988. The segment between Two Mile Pike and Conference Drive was opened on April 5, 1990,^[3] and the final leg of the original bypass was opened to traffic on October 4, 1990.^[4]

Beginning in 2003, the highway was extended east to Gallatin in two separate projects after that city experienced further growth and transportation needs.^[5] This was completed on June 15, 2007.^[6]

In 2010 TDOT began studying the possibility of extending the route further east into Gallatin.^[7] Also that year the speed limit was reduced from 70 to 65 mph in Sumner County and warning signs were installed around the curve near US 31E in an effort to improve safety on the highway that had developed a high rate of traffic accidents.^[8] Early into the route's history it began to experience congestion problems during rush hour. Future plans including widening the highway to six lanes.^[9]

On December 1, 2011, a 176 vehicle pileup on SR 386 near the easternmost exit with US 31E resulted in two deaths and 16 injuries.^[10] Dense fog and black ice were believed to have contributed to the cause of the accident.^[11]

In 1987, SR 386 was renamed the Vietnam Veterans Boulevard after the efforts of the Sumner County chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America.^[12] In 2012 the chapter worked with the Tennessee General Assembly to install signs along the highway, located each about a half mile apart, that list the names of the 25 Sumner County residents who died in the Vietnam War.^[13]

In the summer of 2023, the signs were changed on all of the roads that SR 386 intersects to be signed as east-west, although signs on SR 386 are still signed as north-south.

TDOT (Tennessee Department of Transportation) has also announced that SR 386 will be widened from its western terminus at I-65 to one of its exits with US 31E.

Exit list

County	Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Davidson	Goodlettsville	0.00	0.00		I-65 south – Nashville	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; no direct access from southbound I-65 or to I-65 northbound; southern terminus; I-65 exit 95
	Nashville/Goodlettsville line	1.00	1.61	1	Conference Drive to I-65 north – Goodlettsville	Goodlettsville only on southbound signage
Sumner	Hendersonville	2.72	4.38	2	Center Point Road	No northbound entrance
		3.21	5.17	3	US 31E (SR 6) – Hendersonville
		5.73	9.22	6	SR 258 (New Shackle Island Road) – White House, Hendersonville
		7.17	11.54	7	Indian Lake Boulevard / Drakes Creek Road
		8.89	14.31	8	Saundersville Road to US 31E (SR 6) – Hendersonville	No northbound entrance; Hendersonville only on southbound signage
		9.15	14.73	9	US 31E north (SR 6) – Gallatin	No southbound exit
	Gallatin	11.95	19.23	12	Big Station Camp Boulevard
		14.18	22.82	14	Green Lea Boulevard
		14.94	24.04		SR 174 west (Long Hollow Pike) – Goodlettsville	Southern end of SR 174 concurrency; at-grade intersection with traffic signal; end of divided highway
		15.93	25.64		SR 109 – Portland, Gallatin, Lebanon	At-grade intersection with traffic signal (via a diamond interchange on SR 109); SR 386 becomes unsigned.
		16.89	27.18		SR 25 west – Springfield	Southern end of SR 25 concurrency; at-grade intersection
		17.24	27.75		US 31E (SR 6) / SR 25 east / SR 174 east	Northern end of SR 25 and SR 174 concurrencies; northern terminus; at-grade intersection
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

References

1. Tennessee Department of Transportation (1985). SR-386 (proposed), Davidson/Sumner Counties: Environmental Impact Statement (Report). Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
2. Caldwell, Nat (March 5, 1981). "State Takes Blame for Faulty Ellington Bridge". The Tennessean. Nashville. p. 18. Retrieved May 15, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Margulies, Ellen (April 6, 1990). "Hendersonville bypass section open after delay". The Tennessean. Nashville. p. 17. Retrieved May 1, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Margulies, Ellen (October 6, 1990). "Sleep in! Hendersonville bypass is the darling of commuters". The Tennessean. Nashville. p. 1B, 2B. Retrieved May 15, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "State of Tennessee Notice to Contractors of State Highway Construction Bids to Be Received January 20, 2006 (Mowing and Litter) Computer-Assisted Bidding (CAB) Mandatory on All Contracts" (PDF) (Press release). Tennessee Department of Transportation. 2006. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
6. "Vietnam Veterans Boulevard Opens to Traffic". Construction Equipment Guide. Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. July 5, 2007. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
7. "Feasibility Study SR 386 (Vietnam Veterans Blvd.)/US 31 E Connector from State Route 386 to State Route 109 (Phase 2)" (PDF) (Press release). Tennessee Department of Transportation. October 3, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
8. "Speed Limit Reduced on Vietnam Veterans Boulevard (State Route 386)" (Press release). Tennessee Department of Transportation. July 20, 2010. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
9. Charrin, Matt (January 22, 2015). "Officials see potential for SR-386 expansion". The Hendersonville Standard. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
10. Alsup, Dave (December 1, 2011). "1 dead, 16 injured in Tennessee crashes involving 176 cars". CNN. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
11. "2 killed, 16 injured after 50-car pileup on Vietnam Vets Blvd". Nashville: WSMV-TV. Associated Press. December 1, 2011. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
12. "Bypass honors Vietnam vets". The Tennessean. Nashville. July 8, 1987. p. 15. Retrieved May 1, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Novi, Edward (March–April 2013). "Sumner County, Tennessee, Chapter 240: A Commitment To Service". The VVA Veteran. Retrieved January 24, 2018.

External links

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