I-24

About I-24

From Pulleys Mill, IL (I-57) to Chattanooga, TN (I-59/I-75)

Interstate 24 is a diagonal route of about 316 miles running from southern Illinois southeast to Chattanooga, Tennessee, near the Georgia line. Despite its even number, the route trends northwest to southeast, crossing Illinois, dipping into Kentucky, and passing through Tennessee, with a brief clip of Georgia near its southern end. It links the lower Ohio River valley with the Tennessee Valley.

From its northern terminus at I-57 near Pulleys Mill, Illinois, the route crosses the Ohio River into Kentucky, passes near Paducah, and enters Tennessee near Clarksville. It then serves Nashville, where it crosses several Interstates, before climbing across the Cumberland Plateau toward Chattanooga.

The descent into Chattanooga over Monteagle Mountain is one of the steeper and more demanding grades on the Interstate system, requiring runaway truck ramps and special signage. At its southern end the route reaches I-75 after a short passage through the northwest corner of Georgia.

State-by-state mileage

State	Miles
Illinois	38.7
Kentucky	93.4
Tennessee	180.2
Georgia	4.1
Total	316.4

History

I-24 was planned as part of the original Interstate system approved in the late 1950s and built in segments through the 1960s and 1970s. Its route was chosen to connect the St. Louis approaches in southern Illinois with Nashville and Chattanooga.

The mountain crossing near Monteagle required significant engineering, and the modern alignment replaced an older and notoriously dangerous two-lane road over the plateau.

Major cities and places

Notable features

• Ohio River crossing
• Monteagle Mountain grade on the Cumberland Plateau

Did you know

• Runs northwest to southeast despite carrying an even number.
• Crosses four states: Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and a corner of Georgia.
• The Monteagle grade near the Cumberland Plateau is among the steepest on the system.
• Crosses the Ohio River between Illinois and Kentucky.