Tennessee State Route 475
I-475/SR-475 was proposed as a four-lane divided highway with full access control and a design speed. Upon completion, this route was expected to be added into the National Highway System and would have also been designated as a Tennessee Scenic Parkway or State Scenic Highway. This route was also being studied by TDOT as a potential toll corridor and may have been planned to be extended to I-40 near mile marker 407. The route would have served as an outer bypass to Interstate 640. With the idea originally conceived in the mid 1990s, the Knoxville Parkway was dubbed the "orange route" in the press. The route was cancelled on June 25, 2010 due to changing traffic needs and high cost. The "no build" option was selected because projections showed that it would divert less traffic from I-40/I-75 than previously expected, and the estimated one billion dollar expense was deemed prohibitive.
History
The proposed route would have allowed through traffic on I-75 to bypass the city of Knoxville.