U.S. Route 50 in Virginia

Route map:
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

U.S. Route 50 marker

U.S. Route 50

Map
US 50 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by VDOT
Length85.96 mi[1][2] (138.34 km)
Existed1926–present
Major junctions
West end US 50 at West Virginia border near Capon Bridge, WV
Major intersections
East end border in Arlington
Location
CountryUnited States
StateVirginia
CountiesFrederick, City of Winchester, Clarke, Fauquier, Loudoun, Fairfax, City of Fairfax, Arlington
Highway system
SR 49 SR 51

U.S. Route 50 (US 50) is a transcontinental highway which stretches from Ocean City, Maryland to West Sacramento, California. In the U.S. state of Virginia, US 50 extends 86 miles (138 km) from the border with Washington, D.C. at a Potomac River crossing at Rosslyn in Arlington County to the West Virginia state line near Gore in Frederick County.

History

US 50, also known in modern times for most of its mileage in

Georgetown (then in Maryland) followed it to Winchester
at the lower end of the Shenandoah Valley for trade. Along the way, small settlements sprang up which provided lodging and provisions for travelers and trade centers for local farmers.

During the American Civil War, the roads which became US 50 were an important travelway for troops, and were the site of significant battles and skirmishes. Among these, the Battle of Chantilly, the Battle of Aldie, as well as Arlington National Cemetery were all located close by.

During the 19th century, the

extended from the Ashby's Gap to Winchester.

In 1922, these three privately owned turnpikes were taken over by the

Harry Flood Byrd before it too was acquired by the state and became U.S. Route 11
).

US Route 50 was one of the major east–west transcontinental highways in the grid system of the lower 48 states planned in the 1920s as a successor to the

San Francisco, California to Annapolis, Maryland (later extended to Ocean City, Maryland). Route 50 crosses Virginia near the state's northern borders with Maryland and West Virginia. The east–west major routes in the 1920s national grid system were those with two digit numbers ending with a zero (e.g. US 10, US 20, etc.). Virginia's other east–west highway of this type is US 60, which extends in modern times from Virginia Beach across the middle section of the state to exit west of Covington
.

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted to rename the section of US 50 within Loudoun County from John Mosby Highway to Little River Turnpike on December 7, 2021. This is in an effort to restore historical names and remove segregationist and Confederate symbols throughout the county.[3]

Route description

The eastern two-thirds of US 50 in Virginia is substantially paralleled by Interstate 66, although the newer highway gradually diverges to the south after their Fairfax interchange to Front Royal and meets Interstate 81 at Strasburg, about 15 miles (24 km) south of Winchester, where US 50 meets I-81.

Frederick County and Winchester

U.S. Route 50 enters the state from the

State Route 37 and enters the independent city of Winchester
.

Winchester was long the transportation hub of the lower Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. Today, US 50 meets

State Route 7
. U.S. Route 17 joins US 50 here from its national northern terminus as the route exits the city to the east and crosses the Shenandoah River.

Paris, Ashby Gap, Clarke County

After crossing the Shenandoah River, the divided four-laned roadway which serves as combined U.S. Routes 17 and 50 ascends into

US 340 close to Boyce, a few miles south of Berryville, the county seat
.

Just west of Paris, the highway crosses a ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains at a place known as

U.S. Route 17 finally separates from US 50 at Paris
.

View east along US 50 at SR 629 in Stoke, Loudoun County

Fauquier and Loudoun counties

West of Fairfax County, US 50 in Virginia is known as the John Mosby Highway in

John Singleton Mosby was a Confederate partisan who operated with great success in this region, gaining status as a local folk-hero. The Little River is a tributary of the Goose Creek, which itself is a tributary of the Potomac River. The roadway reaches the Town of Upperville, straddles a county line and dipping into Loudoun County along the way. It then passes into the northern edge of Fauquier County
.

Upon entering Loudoun County, US 50 exits the Blue Ridge Mountains and enters the Piedmont region. The highway passes across the southeastern portion through the

U.S. 29
in Fairfax City. Within Middleburg, US 50 is known as Washington Street.


Fairfax County, City of Fairfax, Arlington County