U.S. Route 1 in Virginia

Route map:
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

U.S. Route 1 marker

U.S. Route 1

Map
US 1 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by VDOT
Length196.55 mi[1] (316.32 km)
Existed1926–present
Major junctions
South end US 1 at the North Carolina state line near Palmer Springs
Major intersections
North end
Arlington
Location
CountryUnited States
StateVirginia
CountiesMecklenburg, Brunswick, Dinwiddie, City of Petersburg, City of Colonial Heights, Chesterfield, City of Richmond, Henrico, Hanover, Caroline, Spotsylvania, City of Fredericksburg, Stafford, Prince William, Fairfax, City of Alexandria, Arlington
Highway system
SR 895 SR 2

U.S. Route 1 (US 1) is a major north–south

Interstate Highways in Virginia—Interstate 85 (I-85) south of Petersburg, I-95 north to Alexandria, and I-395 into the District of Columbia—and now serves mainly local traffic. At its north end, on the approach to the 14th Street bridges, US 1 is concurrent
with I-395; the rest of US 1 is on surface roads.

What became US 1 was part of prior Virginia state routes, primarily State Route 31 (SR 31). Even earlier than that, it was part of an auto trail known as the Jefferson Davis Highway; portions of the route still bear that name. While minor adjustments have been made, it still largely follows the same route it has since first being designated in 1926.

Route description

Palmer Springs to Petersburg

US 1 enters southeastern

US 58 Business (US 58 Bus.) split northeast from US 58. The mainline highway and business route enter the town of South Hill along Danville Street, a two-lane road with center turn lane. As the highways approach downtown South Hill, the center turn lane ends. In downtown, US 1 and US 58 Bus. turn north onto Mecklenburg Avenue next to historic Colonial Theatre, then US 58 Bus. turns east onto Atlantic Street; SR 47 heads west from the intersection on Atlantic Street. US 1 gains a center turn lane again northeast of downtown. The U.S. Route meets the southern end of SR 138 (Union Mill Road), then expands to a four-lane divided highway for its four-ramp partial cloverleaf interchange
with I-85 before leaving the town of South Hill.

US 1 continues northeast as a three-lane road that alternates between two lanes northbound, two lanes southbound, and a center turn lane. The route expands to a four-lane divided highway after entering Brunswick County, where the highway's name becomes Boydton Plank Road, and before crossing the Meherrin River. US 1 reduces to a three-lane road and passes through Meredithville. At Cochran, the highway intersects SR 46 (Christanna Highway) just south of the Christanna Campus of Southside Virginia Community College. US 1 expands to a four-lane divided highway; the southbound lanes pass under a narrow former railroad bridge. The highway has a diamond interchange with I-85, then passes through the southern edge of the town of Alberta, where the U.S. Route meets the eastern end of SR 136 (Church Street). East of Alberta, US 1 becomes three lanes and passes through the adjacent communities of Warfield and Sturgeonville and to the east of Rawlings before expanding to a four-lane divided highway immediately before crossing the Nottoway River into Dinwiddie County.

US 1 reduces to three lanes a short distance north of the river and passes through the town of

US 460 Bus. that connects US 1 with I-85 and US 460 and, to the west of the Interstate, Dinwiddie County Airport. US 1 and US 460 Bus. pass Pamplin Historical Park, which preserves the Petersburg Breakthrough Battlefield, then cross over Norfolk Southern Railway's Norfolk District rail line. The routes expand to a four-lane divided highway at its intersection with SR 142 (Simpson Road), then they meet I-85 and US 460 at a six-ramp partial cloverleaf interchange. US 1 and US 460 Bus. reduce to two lanes plus center turn lane and pass along the western and northern sides of Central State Hospital; on their curve east, the routes meet the eastern end of SR 226 (Cox Road). East of the hospital complex, the highways enter the independent city
of Petersburg.

Petersburg to Richmond

US 1 and US 460 Bus. enter Petersburg along Washington Street, a four-lane road with center turn lane. After passing under

US 301 Alternate (US 301 Alt.) joins both directions at Sycamore Street; one block to the east—a block that contains Washington Street Methodist Church—US 1 and US 301 Alt. turn north onto four-lane Adams Street. The two U.S. Routes pass between commercial Petersburg Courthouse Historic District, which contains the namesake judicial building, and residential Centre Hill Historic District, which contains the eponymous mansion and museum. US 1 continues into Petersburg Old Town Historic District, where the highway intersects Bank and Bolingbrook streets, which is the northern terminus of US 301 Alt. Southbound US 301 leaves US 1 at Bank Street, northbound US 301 joins US 1 at Bolingbrook Street, and Bolingbrook Street also carries westbound SR 36. North of Bolingbrook Street, US 1 and US 301 cross the Appomattox River on the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Bridge. On the bridge, the U.S. Routes have an intersection with Bridge Street, which leads to Pocahontas Island and its namesake historic district
.

US 1 and US 301 enter the independent city of Colonial Heights along Boulevard, a four-lane street with center turn lane. Shortly after this point, US 1 reaches the halfway point between Key West and Fort Kent. The highways pass along the western edge of residential Chesterfield Highlands Historic District before intersecting SR 144 (Temple Avenue), which joins the U.S. Routes. The three highways pass under CSX Transportation's North End Subdivision, then cross Swift Creek into Chesterfield County, where SR 144 splits northwest onto Harrowgate Road at Pickadat Corner. US 1 and US 301 continue along four-lane Jefferson Davis Highway, which passes under the CSX Transportation rail line and intersects SR 10 (West Hundred Road) on the eastern edge of Chester. The U.S. Routes briefly expand to a divided highway at the SR 10 intersection and within the highway's cloverleaf interchange with SR 288 (World War II Veterans Memorial Highway), which ends at I-95 (Richmond–Petersburg Turnpike) a short distance to the east. US 1 and US 301 expand to a divided highway at their junction with SR 145 (Chester Road), cross over CSX Transportation's Bellwood Subdivision, and pass to the east of Defense Supply Center, Richmond, as they pass through Bellwood. As they pass through Bensley, the U.S. Routes cross over Falling Creek, across which sits an abandoned bridge between the two carriageways.

North of Falling Creek, US 1 and US 301 expand to six lanes and have a cloverleaf interchange with

Manchester Residential and Commercial Historic District. The highways intersect US 60 (Semmes Avenue), then veer north onto the Robert E. Lee Memorial Bridge, which the bifurcated James River and Belle Isle. The bridge also crosses Norfolk Southern Railway's Richmond District railyard on the south side of the river and CSX Transportation's Rivanna Subdivision on the north side. On either end of the bridge are partial interchanges: Riverside Drive on the south side of the river accessible from the southbound direction and Second Street from the northbound direction; Second Street leads to Downtown Richmond and the Tredegar Iron Works
.

US 1 and US 301 follow Belvidere Street along the east side of

Broad Street Commercial Historic District. US 1 and US 301 intersect SR 33 (Leigh Street) immediately before their incomplete partial cloverleaf interchange with I-64
and I-95 (Richmond–Petersburg Turnpike). There is no access from the southbound route to westbound I-64 and northbound I-95. Access to the U.S. Routes from that direction of the Interstate is via Chamberlayne Parkway, with which the routes have a partial interchange as they cross over CSX Transportation's Richmond Terminal Subdivision rail line.

Richmond to Fredericksburg

US 1 and US 301 continue along Chamberlayne Avenue through the northern part of the city. The highways reduce to four lanes and intersect

SR 73, a connector between US 1 and I-95. US 1 has a cloverleaf interchange with I-295 between Glen Allen and the I-95–I-295 junction before the U.S. Route crosses the Chickahominy River into Hanover County
.

View north along US 1 in Thornburg

US 1's name changes to Washington Highway, and it becomes a four-lane undivided highway shortly after entering Hanover County. The highway has brief divided sections as it passes through the eastern part of town of

Randolph–Macon College. After leaving Ashland, US 1 crosses to the west side of CSX Transportation's RF&P Subdivision and crosses over the South Anna River. North of the Little River, the route passes through Doswell, where it meets the western end of SR 30 (Kings Dominion Boulevard). US 1 crosses over the Piedmont Subdivision, which is owned by CSX Transportation and operated by Buckingham Branch Railroad, west of the Doswell Diamond, then briefly expands to a divided highway to cross the North Anna River into Caroline County. US 1 continues as Jefferson Davis Highway and meets the western end of SR 207 (Rogers Clark Boulevard) at the hamlet of Carmel Church west of Ruther Glen; SR 207 leads to US 301 at Bowling Green and thence along that U.S. Route to the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge
.

US 1 passes through

US 17 Bus. (Princess Anne Street) immediately before US 1 and US 17 Bus. cross the Rappahannock River into Stafford County
.

Fredericksburg to the Arlington–DC border

US 1 southbound in Stafford County

US 17 Bus. diverges onto Warrenton Road at a four-way intersection that also serves as the western end of SR 218 (Butler Road) in the center of Falmouth and its historic district, which contains Gari Melchers Home and Studio, Conway House, Union Church and Cemetery, Carlton, and Clearview. US 1 has a grade-separated junction with SR 8900 (Centreport Parkway), which serves Stafford Regional Airport, before crossing Potomac Creek. The highway passes Stafford Training School and passes through the county seat of Stafford. North of Stafford, the highway briefly divides into two carriageways with a wide median. The directions of US 1 come back together and approach I-95; ramps to and from northbound I-95 connect directly with US 1 as part of the Interstate's cloverleaf interchange with SR 610 (Garrisonville Road) just west of the historic Aquia Church. US 1 crosses Aquia Creek and passes through the village of Aquia.

North of Aquia, US 1 enters the property of

SR 294 (Prince William Parkway) and begins to parallel the RF&P Subdivision rail line. US 1 passes Woodbridge station, which is served by Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express, shortly before its junction with SR 123 (Gordon Boulevard). The highway then crosses the Occoquan River into Fairfax County
.

US 1 continues as Richmond Highway through a partial interchange with I-95 at the southern end of Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway. The interchange includes ramps from northbound US 1 to northbound I-95, southbound US 1 to southbound I-95, northbound I-95 to northbound US 1, and southbound I-95 to southbound US 1. At the north end of the interchange, US 1 passes under the RF&P Subdivision rail line and passes through the eastern fringe of

SR 286 (Fairfax County Parkway), and passes under an overpass of a road within the base. East of Fort Belvoir, the highway passes the historic plantation Woodlawn and the western end of SR 235 (Mount Vernon Memorial Highway), which leads to Mount Vernon. US 1 is reduced to a four-lane undivided highway before it crosses Dogue Creek and until it meets the eastern end of SR 235 (Mount Vernon Highway) just west of Little Hunting Creek
.

US 1 expands to six lanes as it curves north through

I-495) at Cameron Run on the boundary between Fairfax County and the independent city of Alexandria. The interchange includes several flyovers and provides partial access to the express and local lanes of the beltway in both directions. US 1 continues north as a six-lane divided Patrick Street into Old Town Alexandria, which, at Wilkes Street, splits into a one-way pair, Patrick Street northbound and Henry Street southbound. The highway intersects SR 236 (Duke Street) and SR 7 (King Street) within Old Town. North of Montgomery Street, the directions come together as Henry Street, which crosses the Monroe Avenue Bridge[2] over the RF&P Subdivision rail line and the Washington Metro's Blue and Yellow
lines.

View north along US 1 in Crystal City

US 1 again becomes Richmond Highway (changed from

District of Columbia on the 14th Street bridges
complex.

History

US 1 in Fairfax County near Alexandria

What is now US 1 was added to the state highway system in 1918 as State Route 1 (SR 1), following the older Jefferson Davis Highway, which approximated at its northern end the route of the former Washington and Alexandria Turnpike.[4] The road was renumbered State Route 31 (SR 31) in the 1923 renumbering, and US 1 was applied to its whole length in 1926. SR 31 was dropped in the 1933 renumbering and was immediately reused on its current alignment.

Prior to c. 1924, SR 1/SR 31 crossed the

SR 712 until about the same time.[6][unreliable source] This alignment was defined as the Jefferson Davis Highway on March 17, 1922.[7]

By 1925, SR 31 was moved to the current alignment of US 1 south of McKenney

SR 122 from Edgerton to near McKenney.[5]

The preliminary plan for

US 401.[9] In late 1926, the final plan was adopted, and all of US 401 was renumbered to US 15.[10] However, by April 1927, US 15 had been extended north from Clarksville, and the short piece from Clarksville to near South Hill was again US 401.[11]

In 1975, the interchange between I-395 and US 1 was rebuilt, and originally there were plans to upgrade US 1 to Interstate 595 (I-595) southward to the connector road with Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. However, the upgrade as proposed was never built. Instead, US 1 is elevated with a diamond interchange over 15th Street South but is a surface road with signaled intersections at 20th Street South and further south.[12][13][unreliable source]

The modern US 1 corridor was added to the state highway system as follows:

Portion Creation Number Notes
North Carolina to South Hill 1922[14] SR 122 (1923–1925[citation needed]) → SR 31[15] (1925–1933)
South Hill to Nottoway River Bridge 1924[16] SR 314 (1924–1925[citation needed]) → SR 31[15] (1925–1933)
Nottoway River Bridge to
Solomons Store
1918[17] SR 1[17] (1918–1923) → SR 31[15] (1923–1933)
Solomons Store to
Four Mile Fork
1924[16] SR 31[15] (1924–1933)
Four Mile Fork to
Washington DC
1918[17] SR 1[17] (1918–1923) → SR 31[15] (1923–1933) Occoquan bypassed in 1926;[18] former alignment renumbered SR 315[15]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[1]kmExitDestinationsNotes
Mecklenburg0.000.00
US 1 south – Norlina, Raleigh
Continuation into North Carolina
US 58 west – Boydton, Clarksville
Southern terminus of US 58 concurrency
US 58 east – Emporia
Northern terminus of US 58 concurrency; southern terminus of US 58 Business concurrency
15.2124.48


US 58 Bus. east / SR 47 north (Atlantic Street) – Emporia, Chase City
Northern terminus of US 58 Business concurrency

SR 138 north (Union Mill Road) – Kenbridge
Southern terminus of SR 138
18.1329.18
I-85 – Petersburg, Durham
I-85 exit 15
BrunswickCochran29.7947.94 SR 46 (Christianna Highway) – Lawrenceville, Blackstone
Exit 28 on I-85

SR 136 west (Church Street)
Eastern terminus of SR 136
DinwiddieMcKenney45.2072.74 SR 40 (Doyle Boulevard) – Blackstone, Fort Barfoot, Waverly, Stony Creek
64.41103.66



Southern terminus of US 460 Business concurrency

SR 142 east (Simpson Road)
Western terminus of SR 142
66.10106.38
Exit 63 on I-85
67.33108.36
SR 226 west (Cox Road)
Eastern terminus of SR 226
SR 36
concurrency (northbound)
70.36113.23

US 301 Alt.
south (Sycamore Street)
Southern terminus of US 301 Alternate concurrency
70.44113.36


US 460 Bus. east / SR 36
east (Wythe Street)
Northern terminus of US 460 Business / SR 36 concurrency (northbound)
70.53113.51


US 1 south /
US 460 Bus.
west (Washington Street)
Northern terminus of US 460 Business concurrency (southbound)
70.79113.93
US 301 south (Bank Street)
Southern terminus of US 301 concurrency (southbound)
70.84114.01
SR 36 west (Bollingbrook Street)
Northern terminus of US 301 Alternate; southern terminus of US 301 concurrency (northbound)
Appomattox RiverMartin Luther King Jr. Memorial Bridge
City of Colonial Heights72.68116.97
SR 144 south (Temple Avenue) – Hopewell
Southern terminus of SR 144 concurrency
ChesterfieldPickadat Corner74.62120.09
SR 144 north (Harrowgate Road) – Chester
Northern terminus of SR 144 concurrency
Chester79.42127.81 SR 10 (West Hundred Road) – Chester, Hopewell
81.07130.47



US 360 north / SR 76
Cloverleaf interchange
Bellwood83.33134.11
SR 145 west (Chester Road) – Chester
Cloverleaf interchange
City of Richmond SR 161 (Bells Road)
90.91146.31
US 360
(Hull Street)
No left turn southbound
91.30146.93 US 60 (Semmes Avenue)
Riverside DriveSouthbound exit and northbound entrance
James RiverRobert E. Lee Memorial Bridge
City of Richmond92.06148.162nd Street northNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
Byrd Street east to
I-95
Cumberland Street west to SR 195 west

SR 147 east (Cary Street)

SR 147 west (Main Street)
No left turn northbound
93.13149.88 US 250 (Broad Street)
SR 33 (Leigh Street)
Same-directional access only; exit 76 on I-95
93.53150.52Chamberlayne ParkwaySouthbound exit and northbound entrance
95.72154.05
SR 197 west (Laburnum Avenue)
Eastern terminus of SR 197
96.92155.98

US 301 north / SR 2 north (Chamberlayne Avenue)
Northern terminus of US 301 concurrency
I-64
Exit 81 on I-95; southbound exit and northbound entrance
98.31158.21
SR 161 south (Hilliard Road) – Greendale
Northern terminus of SR 161
I-95
 / Parham Road west
Exits 43C-D on I-295
HanoverAshland108.10173.97 SR 54 (England Street) – Hanover, Montpelier
Doswell114.33184.00
SR 30 east (Kings Dominion Boulevard) – Kings Dominion
Western terminus of SR 30
I-95 / US 301 – Bowling Green
Spotsylvania141.37227.51
US 17 south (Mills Drive) – Tappahannock
Southern terminus of US 17 concurrency
142.55229.41
Washington, Richmond
Northern terminus of US 17 concurrency; exit 126 on I-95
Spotsylvania, Fredericksburg
City of Fredericksburg146.29235.43 SR 3 (William Street) – CulpeperCloverleaf interchange
148.07238.30




US 17 Bus. south (Princess Anne Street) to SR 2
Southern terminus of US 17 Business concurrency
US 17 Bus. north (Warrenton Road) / SR 218 east (Butler Road) – Warrenton
Northern terminus of US 17 Business concurrency
Washington
Exit 143 on I-95; access to I-95 south via SR 610
Quantico Station
Russell Road – Marine Corps Base QuanticoPartial cloverleaf interchange
Triangle166.24267.54 SR 619 (Fuller Road) – Quantico, Prince William Forest Park
Dumfries168.68271.46
SR 234 north (Dumfries Road) – Manassas
Southern terminus of SR 234
SR 294 west (Prince William Parkway) – Manassas
Eastern terminus of SR 294

SR 123 north (Gordon Boulevard) – Occoquan
Southern terminus of SR 123
Occoquan RiverJefferson Davis Highway Bridge
I-95 – Richmond, Washington
Same-directional access only; exit 161 on I-95
178.43287.16
Gunston Hall
Western terminus of SR 242
I-95
Southern terminus of SR 286
183.80295.80
SR 235 north (Mount Vernon Memorial Highway) – Mount Vernon
Southern terminus of SR 235
Mount Vernon186.64300.37
SR 235 south (Mount Vernon Highway) – Mount Vernon
Northern terminus of SR 235
Huntington189.83305.50
SR 241 north (Kings Highway)
Southern terminus of SR 241
Baltimore, Richmond
Exits 177A-B on I-95 / I-495 (Capital Beltway)
191.98308.96 Duke Street (SR 236)Southbound left turn via u-turn
192.16309.25 King Street (SR 7)
I-395
Southern terminus of SR 120
194.95313.74
Trumpet interchange
; western terminus of SR 233
15th Street South –
Pentagon City
Diamond interchange
195.82315.14


I-66 west – Rosslyn
Southbound access via I-395 south exit 8B; southern terminus of SR 110
195.98315.408C
Shirley Highway
) concurrency; southbound exit and northbound entrance
9Clark StreetExit closed in 2023
10ABoundary Channel Drive –
Pentagon North Parking
National Airport, Mount Vernon
Signed as exits 10B (south) and 10C (north)
District of Columbia
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

Spurs of US 1 in Virginia
Spurs of SR 31 between 1923 and 1928[19][unreliable source]

References

  1. ^ a b Staff (2014). "2014 Traffic Data". Virginia Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  2. ^ Mansfield, Virginia (December 10, 1987). "New Monroe Avenue Bridge to Soothe the Way for Commuters". Washington Post. Washington, D.C.
  3. ^ Nirappil, Fenit; Hernandez, Arelis R. (December 31, 2018). "A plastic straw ban and a Confederate name change: New laws in the D.C. region in 2019". Washington Post. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  4. ^ Rose, C.B. Jr. (1976). Arlington County, Virginia: A History. Arlington Historical Society, Inc. p. 75.
  5. ^ a b c "VA 31". www.vahighways.com. February 28, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "VA 121 to 140". www.vahighways.com. February 28, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  7. ^ Virginia Route Index, revised July 1, 2003 Archived August 29, 2006, at the Wayback Machine (PDF)
  8. ^ "VA 314". www.vahighways.com. April 25, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  9. OCLC 733875457, 55123355, 71026428. Retrieved November 14, 2017 – via Wikisource
    .
  10. OCLC 32889555. Retrieved November 7, 2013 – via Wikimedia Commons
    .
  11. ^ United States Numbered Highways, American Highways, April 1927
  12. ^ "Unbuilt Interstate 595". novaroads.mjhale.com. January 28, 2008. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  13. ^ "Interstate 595". Kurumi.com. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  14. ^ "An Act to add certain interstate roads and projects to the State highway system". Act No. 163 of 1922.
  15. ^ , October 1, 1926
  16. ^ a b "An Act to amend and re-enact sections 1 and 2 of an act entitled an act to amend and re-enact an act entitled an act to establish the State highway system, approved January 31, 1918, and to establish a perpetual memorial to Robert Edward Lee, approved March 20, 1922". Act No. 261 of 1924.: "and from a point near the Nottoway river in the general direction of the old plank road to South Hill"
  17. ^ a b c d "An Act to establish "The State Highway System"". Act No. 10 of 1918.
  18. ^ "An Act to amend and re-enact section 1 of an act entitled an act to amend and re-enact an act entitled an act to establish the State highway system, approved January 31, 1918, and to establish a perpetual memorial to Robert Edward Lee, approved March 20, 1922, as amended by an act approved March 14, 1924". Act No. 563 of 1926.
  19. ^ "VA 301 to 320". www.vahighways.com. May 9, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2023.

External links

KML is from Wikidata
U.S. Route 1
Previous state:
North Carolina
Virginia Next state:
District of Columbia
SR 30
Two‑digit State Routes
1923-1933
SR 32
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