Paul Huff Parkway

The C.S.M. Paul B. Huff Medal of Honor Memorial Parkway, more commonly known as Paul B. Huff Parkway or Paul Huff Parkway, is a major east–west thoroughfare which runs through northern Cleveland, Tennessee. While not a numbered highway, it serves as a connector between U.S. Route 11 (US 11) and State Route 60 (SR 60) as well as to Interstate 75 (I-75), is partially maintained by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), and has come to be one of the most heavily traveled and widely used roads in the city, with many corporate and private businesses locating to it.[2] In 2017 the parkway had an annual average daily traffic (AADT) volume of 26,762 vehicles.[3] The road is named in honor of Paul B. Huff, a Cleveland-born recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions in World War II.

Paul Huff Parkway
Maintained byCity of Cleveland and TDOT
Length2.42 mi (3.89 km)[1]
West end SR 60 in Cleveland
Major
junctions		 I-75 in Cleveland
East end US 11 (SR 2) in Cleveland
Construction
Construction start1985
Completion1988

Route description
Paul Huff Parkway near the Bradley Square Mall.

Paul Huff Parkway begins at an intersection with SR 60 (Georgetown Road) in the northwestern part of the city. An unofficial extension of the road exists approximately 1⁄8 mile (0.20 km) west of the intersection. It then immediately crosses Candies Creek Ridge as an undivided four-lane road. After crossing the ridge it comes to an intersection with Frontage Road/Adkisson Drive, where a center (turn) lane begins. Adkisson connects to Cleveland State Community College. About 0.2 miles (0.32 km) later the road comes to an interchange with I-75. Afterwards the road enters a large corporate and business area coming to an intersection with Peerless Road, and then Mouse Creek Road approximately 0.25 miles (0.40 km) later, an alternate route to Charleston. The road then passes by E.L. Ross Elementary School and a shopping center on the opposite side of the road, coming to an intersection with Freedom Parkway approximately 0.1 miles (0.16 km) later. The road then passes a fire and ambulance station and crosses South Mouse Creek and the Cleveland/Bradley County Greenway. Ascending to the top of a minor ridge the road comes to an intersection with an untitled connector road to the Bradley Square Mall and Hickory Grove Shopping Center and Walmart on the opposite side of the road. Approximately 0.25 miles (0.40 km) later the road comes to an intersection with US 11/SR 2, where it ends and continues east as Stuart Road.[4][5]

History
U.S. Army Sergeant Paul B. Huff (1918-1994), the parkway's namesake.

The road was first planned as a connector road between the Interstate and industrial parks on the northeastern part of the city. A project that preceded the Parkway was the construction of Stuart Road between North Lee Highway and Urbane Road/Old Tasso Road in the mid-1970s, and the extension to Michigan Avenue Road, which was completed on June 27, 1984.[6] Many residents in the area were opposed to the Parkway's construction, as they felt it would bring unwanted commercial development, which it eventually did.

The contract for the section between Mouse Creek Road and US 11 was awarded in October 1985,[7] and the contract for the section between Frontage Road/Adkisson Drive and Mouse Creek Road, including the I-75 interchange, was awarded the following month.[8] Most of the latter section replaced Valley Head Road, a two-lane road that ran from the Adkisson Drive/Frontage Road intersection, under I-75, and ended near what is now the intersection with Peerless Road.[9] The section over Candies Creek Ridge opened on October 8, 1988.[10] This project was very laborious, requiring work crews to blast out and move tons of earth and rock, and stabilize the sides of the ridge between the road.[11] Not initially planned to take place for many more years, this project was made possible by the passage of the Better Roads Program by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1986.[12] The Parkway was dedicated in honor of Sgt. Paul B. Huff on Veterans Day, November 11, 1988.[13][14]

Following the opening of the Bradley Square Mall in 1991, the Parkway saw a boom of commercial development from the late 1990s to the mid 2000s.[15] These included several strip malls including the Hickory Grove Shopping Center as well as such stores as Lowe's, The Home Depot, Publix, and several restaurants and hotels.[4]

In 2015, a short extension of the road was constructed west of SR 60.[16] The speed limit was reduced from 50 to 45 miles per hour in early 2016 after a long history of motorists alleging that the 50 mph limit, which was nearly impossible to drive on most of the parkway because of constant stop-and-go traffic, misled many drivers of the conditions of the road and encouraged reckless driving. A short segment of State Route 374 in Clarksville, Tennessee, is also known as the Paul B. Huff Memorial Parkway.[17]

Major intersections

The entire route is in Cleveland, Bradley County.

mi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
0.000.00 SR 60 (Georgetown Road)Continues west to a dead end
0.921.48 I-75 – Chattanooga, KnoxvilleDiamond interchange; exit 27 on I-75
2.423.89 US 11 (Lee Highway/Keith Street/SR 2) / Stuart Road eastContinues east as Stuart Road
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References
  1. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (June 13, 2022). "National Highway Planning Network" (Map). National Transportation Atlas Database. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  2. "Exit Explorer".
  3. "Traffic History". arcgis.com. Tennessee Department of Transportation. 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  4. Google (November 26, 2017). "Paul Huff Parkway" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  5. City Limits Map (Map). Cleveland Chamber of Commerce. 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
  6. Craig, David B. (June 27, 1984). "Stuart Road extended". Cleveland Daily Banner. pp. 1, 10.
  7. "Notice to Contractors of State Highway Construction Bids To Be Received September 30, 1985". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis. August 30, 1985. p. A12. Retrieved October 26, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Notice to Contractors of State Highway Construction Bids To Be Received November 1, 1985". The Tennessean. Nashville. October 11, 1985. p. 11-C. Retrieved October 26, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. East Cleveland, Tennessee (Map). US Geological Survey. 1976. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  10. Norton, Rick (October 11, 1988). "Huff Parkway western extension open". Cleveland Daily Banner. p. 2.
  11. Guthrie, Chet (July 23, 2015). "Busy street once site of the Guthrie farm". Cleveland Daily Banner. Cleveland, Tennessee. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  12. Henry, Douglas; Darnell, Riley; Bragg, John; Robinson, C. Robb (April 1, 1986). 1986 Road Program (PDF) (Report). Tennessee Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  13. Davis, David (August 11, 2013). "Honoring a national hero". Cleveland Daily Banner. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  14. "Command Sergeant Major (Retired) Paul B. Huff". 509thgeronimo.com. 509th Infantry Regiment. 2006. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  15. Graves, Brian (February 10, 2016). "Bradley Square Mall turns 25". Cleveland Daily Banner. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  16. Leach, Paul (August 25, 2015). "Cleveland hits brakes on Paul Huff Parkway extension". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  17. Erwin, Chris (November 4, 2014). Camping Kentucky: A Comprehensive Guide to Public Tent and RV Campgrounds. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 146. ISBN 9780762787999.
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