Interstate 24 (I-24) is part of the Interstate Highway System that runs in the Southeastern and Midwestern United States. In Tennessee, the Interstate enters the state in Clarksville, the state's fifth-largest city; passes through Nashville, the state capital and largest city; and reaches its eastern terminus in Chattanooga, the fourth-largest city. I-24 also passes through Murfreesboro, the sixth-largest city and largest suburb in Tennessee, and anchors the most populous urbanized corridor in the state. I-24 serves two major military installations: Fort Campbell in Clarksville and Arnold Air Force Base near Tullahoma. At , more of I-24 is in Tennessee than the other three states combined. The Tennessee segment is also divided by a section west of Chattanooga that dips into Georgia.

While officially an east-west Interstate, I-24 runs in a northwest–to–southeast alignment. It has one auxiliary route, I-124 in Chattanooga, which is unsigned. It crosses several of Tennessee's physiographic regions—the Highland Rim and Nashville Basin in Middle Tennessee, and the Cumberland Plateau and Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians in East Tennessee. Much of I-24's route in Tennessee is mountainous and hilly. The section through the Cumberland Plateau includes Monteagle Mountain, which has some of the steepest grades on any Interstate Highway, and a deep mountain gorge with sharp curves. Steep grades are also in the northwestern part. I-24 roughly follows the older U.S. Route 41 (US 41) corridor, which evolved from the Dixie Highway and earlier trails.

When the Interstate Highway System was established in 1956, the road that became I-24 was authorized between Nashville and Chattanooga. Proposals for a western extension arose shortly thereafter to improve connectivity between the Southeast and St. Louis. After many years of debate, an agreement was reached for the alignment in 1963, which was approved the following year. The original portion of I-24 through Tennessee was completed in 1971, and the extension was finished in 1978. Since then, rapid urban growth has necessitated various improvement projects. I-24 between Nashville and Chattanooga is also a major trucking corridor, owing to Tennessee's central location. Heavy truck traffic, combined with the terrain, exacerbates congestion on much of the route. Stretches in Nashville and Chattanooga routinely experience severe congestion, with the section between Nashville and Murfreesboro widely considered the most gridlocked highway in the state. The I-24 Southeast Choice Lanes, the first express toll lanes in Tennessee, are planned on this section. Despite improvements, congestion problems persist elsewhere on I-24, and the state has been accused of neglecting some of them.

Route description I-24 is maintained by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), along with all Interstate, U.S., and state routes. In 2025, annual average daily traffic counts ranged from 33,037 vehicles between SR 2 in rural Marion County and US 72 in Kimball to 188,694 vehicles on the concurrency with I-65 in Nashville, which was the highest traffic volume on any road in Tennessee. The stretch of I-24 in Tennessee accounts for about 57% of the freeway's total length, and is the state's second-longest Interstate Highway behind I-40. Much of I-24 in Tennessee is a major freight corridor, particularly between Nashville and Chattanooga. Most of the urban parts of I-24, including from downtown Nashville to near Smyrna, and through Chattanooga, experience severe congestion during rush hour. Several points consistently rank among the worst bottlenecks in the country, particularly for truck traffic. Many of the rural and suburban segments, particularly between Clarksville and Nashville, are also widely considered to be well over capacity and suffer from periodic congestion and a high crash rate. I-24 is often cited as the most hated or loathed road in Tennessee.

Clarksville and Western Highland Rim

I-24 crosses into Tennessee from Kentucky, traveling in a southeast-to-northwest path into Montgomery County and serving as a major means of access to St. Louis and Chicago to the northwest. Immediately within the eastern outskirts of Clarksville, the fifth-largest city in Tennessee, the Interstate reaches an interchange with State Route 48 (SR 48), less than later, which provides access to Trenton in Kentucky to the north. About later, the Interstate reaches US 79, which also provides access to Guthrie and Russellville in Kentucky to the northeast, and traffic begins to rapidly increase. Bypassing Clarksville to the east, the Interstate next reaches SR 237. The highway then begins a steep descent, with the westbound lanes utilizing a truck climbing lane to ascend the grade from the east. It then crosses the Red River before reaching SR 76.

Leaving Clarksville, the highway enters a long straight section with several steep grades and crosses into Robertson County a short distance later. Several miles later, the Interstate reaches an interchange with SR 49 near Pleasant View and Coopertown, which provides access to Springfield to the northeast and Ashland City to the southwest. The route then descends, utilizing another westbound truck lane, before briefly entering Cheatham County. The Interstate then crosses another steep hill over the next several miles, utilizing an eastbound truck lane before crossing into Davidson County. It then has an interchange with US 431 near the Joelton community and begins a gradual descent into the Nashville Basin, containing a westbound truck lane. Passing over the next few miles through dense woodlands, the highway reaches SR 45 (Old Hickory Boulevard) about later. Over the next beyond this point, the Interstate crosses over another steep hill, utilizing truck lanes on both the eastbound and westbound ascents before reaching Nashville at SR 155 (Briley Parkway).

Nashville metropolitan area

Entering Nashville, I-24 has a cloverleaf interchange with SR 155 (Briley Parkway), a northern controlled-access beltway around Nashville. Less than later, the Interstate joins a concurrency with I-65, where the combined routes carry eight throughlanes and travel due south. About later is an interchange with US 41A/US 431 (Trinity Lane). About beyond this point, I-65 splits off and I-24 passes along the east side of downtown Nashville, where it reduces to six lanes and has interchanges with US 41, US 431, and US 31E, and passes near Nissan Stadium. The interstate then crosses the Cumberland River on the Silliman Evans Bridge and joins in a concurrency with I-40, traveling southeast-to-northwest with eight throughlanes. later, I-40 splits off eastwardly, heading toward Knoxville. Located at this interchange is also a partial interchange with US 41/US 70S (Murfreesboro Road).

Less than later is an interchange with the eastern terminus of I-440, which is also accessible from I-40 nearby. Between I-40 and I-440, I-24's eastbound lanes are split into two barrier-separated carriageways to prevent weaving of traffic destined from I-40 to I-440. A short distance later is once again an interchange with SR 155 (Briley Parkway/Thompson Lane) near Nashville International Airport. Beginning at the next exit, SR 255 (Harding Place), the left lanes operate as high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes during rush hour. Over the next few miles, I-24 passes through the Antioch neighborhood, where it has interchanges with Haywood Lane and SR 254 (Bell Road), and crosses Mill Creek. I-24 then continues through southeast Nashville, reaching interchanges with Hickory Hollow Parkway and SR 171 (Old Hickory Boulevard).

Continuing through the southeastern suburbs of Nashville, I-24 crosses into Rutherford County about beyond. Immediately within the city of La Vergne, the Interstate has an exit with a connector road to that city. It then enters Smyrna where it first has an interchange with SR 266 (Sam Ridley Pkwy.). The Interstate then enters a long straightaway and reaches an interchange with SR 102 (Almaville Road), which also serves Smyrna and the Nissan Smyrna Assembly Plant. Leaving Smyrna, the route enters an unincorporated urban area before reaching a three-level interchange with I-840, the outer southern beltway around Nashville. I-24 then enters Murfreesboro, the largest suburb of Nashville and sixth-largest city in Tennessee. The Interstate first has an interchange with a local thoroughfare (Medical Center Parkway/Fortress Blvd), before reaching SR 96, which also connects to Franklin. A short distance later, the Interstate crosses the west fork of the Stones River and reaches SR 99 (New Salem Highway). A short distance later, the highway reaches US 231, which also connects to Lebanon and Shelbyville. Here, the HOV lane restriction terminates, and the Interstate reduces from eight to four lanes. Leaving Murfreesboro, the Interstate has an interchange later with the Joe B. Jackson Parkway, which serves as an outer beltway around southeast Murfreesboro.

Eastern Nashville Basin and Eastern Highland Rim

Upon leaving Murfreesboro, I-24 enters a rural area, passing through a mix of farmland and woodlands and maintaining a straight alignment. Several miles later, the Interstate begins a gradual, largely unnoticeable, ascent out of the Nashville Basin onto the eastern Highland Rim. A few miles later, the Interstate briefly enters Bedford County and then has an interchange with SR 64, which connects to Shelbyville, near the Bedford–Coffee county line. I-24 then briefly descends, curves to the south, then the east, before once again resuming its gradual ascent, where it surpasses an elevation of for the first time in Tennessee. Upon reaching the top of the rim several miles later, the interstate has an interchange with US 41. later, the highway enters Manchester, where it crosses the Little Duck River and then has interchanges with SR 53 and SR 55 in short proximity. A short distance later, the highway reaches an interchange with US 41 once again. Leaving Manchester, the Interstate maintains its relatively straight trajectory and passes through the northeastern corner of Arnold Air Force Base over a distance of about . The Interstate then travels over the next through a wide swath of mostly farmland, before entering Grundy County and reaching an interchange with US 64 and SR 50 near the town of Pelham, where it begins a concurrency with the former route that is largely unsigned. A short distance later, I-24 crosses the Elk River, before reaching the base of the Cumberland Plateau.

Monteagle Mountain and Cumberland Plateau gorge