SR 60 begins at the Georgia border in Bradley County, heading north on two-lane Dalton Pike, a primary state route. At the state line, the route continues into Whitfield County, Georgia as SR 71 to Dalton. From the border, SR 60 passes a mix of hilly farmland and woodland as it reaches a junction with SR 317. The route continues through the agricultural valley, entering the community of Waterville. Continuing northeast, the road enters Cleveland and passes residential development as it turns to the north. SR 60 heads into commercial areas and intersection with McGrady Drive, a connector to APD-40. The road heads northwest into residential areas, turning north into business areas, and intersects SR 74. TDOT lists the route as turning southeast to form a concurrency with Spring Place Road, but it is signed as continuing north with SR 74 at this intersection along Wildwood Avenue SE. and then east with US 64 to the interchange with APD-40. At this point, SR 60 splits from SR 74 by heading north along APD-40 on a four-lane divided highway, becoming a primary route again. The road passes through wooded areas near some residential development, bypassing Cleveland to the east. Upon reaching a cloverleaf interchange with US 64/US 74, US 64 Bypass terminates and SR 60 continues north as a freeway. The route comes to an interchange with Benton Pike before coming to the Overhead Bridge Road exit, at which point the freeway widens to six lanes, influenced by the exit ramps at each end of a long bridge. SR 60 passes over a Norfolk Southernrailroad line and interchanges with 20th Street NE, making a turn to the northwest and narrowing back to four lanes. The road then enters the metropolis of Cleveland, passing developed areas of homes and businesses as it becomes a surface road again, and APD-40 ends. SR 60 comes to intersections with US 11 and US 11 Bypass in this area, becoming 25th Street. The road passes through a patch of woods before passing more commercial establishments as it comes to the I-75 interchange. At this point, SR 60 turns north and becomes Georgetown Road, a secondary route that passes through residential areas, where it narrows into a two-lane undivided road. The route comes to an intersection with Paul Huff Parkway, and leaves Cleveland, heading into a mix of farmland and woodland before passing near more residential and commercial areas as it comes to the SR 306 junction in Hopewell. Following this, the road continues northwest through forested areas with some farm fields and residences. SR 60 continues into more agricultural areas before it becomes the border between Meigs County to the northeast and Hamilton County to the southwest.
Hamilton and Meigs Counties
The route passes through Georgetown, where it passes a few residences and businesses. A short distance past Georgetown, SR 60 passes crosses onto the Hamilton-Meigs County line, passing through more rural areas as an unnamed road and comes to a junction with SR 58. The road passes through more agricultural and wooded areas, turning to the north and entering more forested surroundings. After a turn to the northwest, the route continues through wooded areas with a few farm fields fully within Hamilton County, reaching an intersection with SR 312. At this point, SR 60 turns north again and passes through the residential community of Birchwood. From here, the road becomes Hiwassee Highway and curves northwest into farmland with some woods and homes, crossing into Meigs County.
Upon crossing the Tennessee River on the Tri-County Veterans Bridge, SR 60 enters Rhea County and turns north into forested areas with a few farms. The road continues to wind through rural areas with some residential development before SR 60 reaches its northern terminus at US 27 in Dayton.
History
In Cleveland, the route originally turned south about 1/4 mile east of the interchange with I-75 onto a road which is still called Georgetown Road, and briefly ran together with US 64 through downtown Cleveland before splitting off onto Wildwood Avenue. It was moved onto 25th Street after it was widened to four lanes in the mid 1960s and APD-40 after that section was completed in 1974. Originally, the route did not cross the Tennessee river into Rhea County, and commuters used Blythe Ferry, which dated back to the early 1800s. In 1994, the current bridge across the river was completed, and Blythe Ferry closed. Between late 2010 and early 2013, Dalton Pike was widened to five lanes and straightened out south of the intersection with McGrady Drive. The original route was a hazardous two-lane road with several dangerous curves prone to accidents. In 2016, the parallel bridges on APD-40 across 20th Street, the railroad, and Overhead Bridge Road were designated as the Dustin Ledford Memorial Bridge in honor of a man who was killed by an intoxicated driver near the Overhead Bridge Road exit. TDOT has begun right-of-way acquisition to widen the route to four lanes between Cleveland and the intersection with SR 306. This project has been proposed since at least 2009.
