MOTOR ROUTES

Rhea County is served by an excellent highway transportation system. U. S. Highway 27 is a four-lane highway that runs completely through the county, connecting to Interstate 40 in Harriman (approximately 45 miles), and Interstates 24 and 75 in Chattanooga (approximately 40 miles). State highways 30 and 60 connect U. S. Highway 27 to Interstate 75 in Athens and Cleveland, respectively (approximately 30 miles).

Interstate 75 is a four-lane system, which extends from the Canadian border to Miami, Florida, and officials have supported expanding to six lanes between Knoxville and Chattanooga. According to Tennessee Department of Transportation officials, the widening is a part of the long-range plan for the interstate.

Construction is underway for improvements to state highway 30, and a portion of the highway was completed in June 2003. A Tennessee River bridge was constructed in 1998 on both state highways 30 and 60, and has already improved access to U. S. Highway 27.

AIRPORTS

The City of Dayton’s state licensed Mark Anton’s Municipal Airport is located 5 miles east of the city. Classified as a general utility airport, it has a single 5,000 x 100-foot asphalt runway. The paved asphalt runway is used on a regular basis by corporate aircraft.

The airport has a Unicom system, NDB and GPS approaches, with medium intensity lighting. The airport is equipped with 36” Beacon PAPI/IFR lighting, and 100 LL and Jet A fuel is available at the facility. Other services include hangar leasing with tie-downs, courtesy car, automobile rental through Enterprise, and a FAA approved airplane mechanic on site.

The airport, winner of several awards from the State of Tennessee, including “Most Improved Airport of the Year”, “Airport Manager of the Year”, and “Governing Body of the Year”, has been the recipient of the “Front Door Award” for the past twelve years.

The nearest commercial airline and freight services are less than an hour’s drive from Rhea County. Lovell Field in Chattanooga is approximately 40 miles south of Dayton, with American Eagle, Atlantic Southwest, Comair, Delta, Northwest, and US Air Express terminals. There are 42 daily flights at Lovell Field

McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville is approximately 50 miles north of Dayton. The facility is served by American Eagle, Atlantic Coast, Atlantic Southwest, Comair, Continental Express, Delta, Northwest, Northwest Airlink, United Express, and US Air Express terminals. There are 162 daily flights at McGhee Tyson Airport.

FREIGHT CARRIERS

More than 20 trucking companies serve Rhea County, with both national freight and parcel shipping available. One of the carriers has a terminal inside Rhea County.

DRIVE TIMES

RAILROADS

Rail service runs through the entire county, provided by Norfolk Southern.

WATERWAYS

Year-round navigable waterways connecting Rhea County to major markets include the Hiwassee and Tennessee Rivers. Both rivers feature nine-foot minimum depth channels and the Tennessee Valley Authority hydroelectric dams, which provide the area with power and reservoirs for water supplies.

The Tennessee River runs parallel with the county, acting as a natural boundary between Rhea, Bradley, Meigs, and McMinn counties. The nearest navigable port is in Calhoun, which is on the Hiwassee River. The Tennessee River is accessed in Rhea County and is less than five minutes drive from many points in Rhea County.

Located near the junction of the Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama state lines is the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, which connects the Tombigbee and Tennessee rivers. The connection point serves as a gateway to the 16,000-mile mid-American waterway system by tying together 12 rivers into one nine-foot-depth navigable channel. The Midwest and the Southeastern Gulf of Mexico are linked by the Tennessee-Tombigbee, which provides inland ports and major market areas with access to both domestic and foreign markets.