NEWPORT — State Route 35 (US 321) is a major corridor from Greeneville to Maryville. To drive through Newport along US 321 one must drive directly through downtown Newport. The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is currently building the Newport Bypass, which engineers have said will be a more efficient and safer route for travelers on US 321 to pass through Newport, which will allow them to bypass traffic in downtown Newport.
The bypass will consist of 4.75 miles of new alignment, according to TDOT. The project includes grading, drainage, construction of four concrete Bulb-Tee beam bridges, signals and paving on SR 35 from SR 9 to Saint Tide Hollow Road.
Two of the bridges will be located along the five-lane section of improvement with the first bridge crossing Stinking Creek and the second bridge crossing Lisega Boulevard, Norfolk Southern Railroad and the Pigeon River. The other two bridges are located along the interim section, which consists of two lanes, with one crossing the French Broad River Flood Channel and the other crossing the French Broad River.