I-40: Then and Now

4Jun2008 Filed under: Local Living Author: Michael Wender

Alright Knoxville commuters: Think rush hour traffic on I-40 is bad now? Imagine if there were only four lanes like the above I-40 photo from the 1960s.

Can you can guess which famous Knoxville exit is pictured?

Brian Parton’s Flickr photos of I-40 circa 1960 have long been some of my favorites; however, recently flight paramedic, Rick Harring, has sweetened the deal.

Taking advantage of some spare moments in the sky during April of this year, Rick snapped current shots of I-40 and combined them with Parton’s archival scans. The result is a “then and now” look at one of Knoxville’s major thoroughfares.

View either of these photo series:

Tags: Commuting, I-40, traffic, travel

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

6 Responses to “I-40: Then and Now”

Luke C
June 4th, 2008 at 11:10 am

Wow. The old versions are beyond my years. In my lifetime, Cedar bluff has always been what it is now. I can’t imagine it! Thos photos show it looking like parts of the i-40 through Campbell County.
Casey Peters
June 4th, 2008 at 11:21 am

Great first post Michael! It’s amazing how times have changed.
BCKnoxify
June 4th, 2008 at 12:58 pm

Then and now.…that to me is what is exciting about this place. What can be done next? Great post Michael, welcome aboard!
Doug McCaughan
June 4th, 2008 at 1:17 pm

That’s West Hills. I’ve always been amused with the Putt Putt in the lower right hand corner. Miniature golf has always lived on the fringe.

I first saw these on Les Jones blog: http://www.lesjones.com/posts/004436.shtml
Michael Wender
June 4th, 2008 at 1:55 pm

@CP and BCKnoxify — Thanks, and I appreciate the opportunity.

@Doug McCaughan — My brothers have shared stories of my mother dropping them off at that Putt Putt for an afternoon of fun.