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LOCAL LIVING - GLOBAL ACCESS
Located on the border of Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee, Bristol is joined at the Virginia-Tennessee state line. If one draws a circle with a 54-mile radius around Bristol, the arc will intersect Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina, making it an ideal location for manufacturing and distribution facilities. Bristol's manufacturers and distributors are within a one-day drive of approximately 70 percent of the U.S. population.
Highways Serving Area Include: I-81, I181, I-26, I-381, US11-E, US11-W, US421, US19, US58, TN State Route 394. There are five Interstate Exchanges within city limits.
Bristol's economic growth has been facilitated through the years in large part due to its accessibility and well-organized transportation connections such as Interstate 81 and US 11W. More than 64 motor freight carriers and Norfolk Southern Railroad serve the Twin City. Tri-Cities Regional Airport, TN/VA, offers outstanding jet and air carrier service by USAir, Inc.; and United Express, ASA/ComAir.
During the past four years, the Virginia Department of Transportation has invested $17 million in highway improvements at the Exit 7 area, one of Bristol's most rapidly growing commercial areas. The Department of Transportation has also budgeted approximately $330 million for highway improvements in the 12-county Bristol transportation district between 1996 and 2002. Since mid-1995, the Virginia Department of Transportation has completed or started construction on five major bypass projects. On the Tennessee side of the city, the 13-mile Bristol Beltway, which will connect Highway 421 to Interstate 81, is under construction. The $55 million project is expected to be complete by fall 1998. Also, the reconstruction of U.S. Highway 11W and State Route 126 was recently completed and the Tennessee Department of Transportation is working on several projects, including road and bridge construction, are underway within the city limit.
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