West Virginia Route 480
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Length | 5.64 mi[1] (9.08 km) | |||
Tourist routes | Washington Heritage Trail | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | WV 115 in Kearneysville | |||
WV 45 / WV 230 in Shepherdstown | ||||
North end | MD 34 in Shepherdstown | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | West Virginia | |||
Counties | Jefferson | |||
Highway system | ||||
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West Virginia Route 480 (WV 480) is a 5.64-mile-long (9.08 km)
Route description
WV 480 begins at a four-legged intersection with WV 115 (Charles Town Road) in the
WV 480 bears slightly northward as it passes the Morgan-Bedinger-Dandridge House and enters the town of Shepherdstown. The highway follows Duke Street along the west side of the Shepherdstown Historic District. WV 480 intersects German Street; the intersection forms the eastern terminus of WV 45 and the northern terminus of WV 230. North of downtown, the highway bears back slightly eastward and passes through the campus of Shepherd University, including Ram Stadium. WV 480 reaches its northern terminus at the Maryland state line on the West Virginian bank of the Potomac River. The highway crosses the Potomac River on the James Rumsey Bridge and continues as MD 34 (Shepherdstown Pike) toward Sharpsburg.[2][3]
History
In its original 1922 state route system, the West Virginia State Road Commission established WV 48 along the Smithfield and Shepherdstown Road from WV 49 (later WV 9, now WV 115) at Kearneysville through Shepherdstown to the Potomac River.[5][6] WV 48's routing was the same as modern WV 480 from Kearneysville to Shepherdstown; within the town, the route followed Duke Street, German Street, and Princess Street to the river, which the highway crossed on a bridge downstream from the current bridge.[6] The road commission developed plans to improve WV 48 into an all-weather highway starting in 1922.[7] The Shepherdstown routing was paved as 18-foot-wide (5.5 m) concrete streets in 1924 and 1925, and the road from the town south to Kearneysville was constructed as a 16-foot-wide (4.9 m) bituminous macadam road in 1925.[7][8] The road commission and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad started planning for the highway's railroad grade separation at Kearneysville in 1929. The railroad constructed its overpass of the highway and the road commission paved the underpass and its approaches as a 20-foot-wide (6.1 m) concrete road in 1931.[7]
The West Virginia State Road Commission surveyed the approach road for a new Potomac River bridge in 1933; the need for the new bridge became acute after the privately owned toll bridge was destroyed in a
Major intersections
The entire route is in Jefferson County.
Location | mi[1][4] | km | Destinations | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kearneysville | 0.00 | 0.00 | WV 115 (Charles Town Road) / CR 1 (Leetown Road) to WV 9 – Charles Town, Martinsburg | Southern terminus | |
WV 230 | Officially CR 245 | ||||
Shepherdstown | 5.19 | 8.35 | WV 45 west / WV 230 south (German Street) – Martinsburg, Harpers Ferry | ||
5.64 | 9.08 | MD 34 east (Shepherdstown Pike) – Sharpsburg | Northern terminus; Maryland state line on the James Rumsey Bridge over the Potomac River | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
References
- ^ a b Planning Division (April 2018). Milepoint Map of Jefferson County, West Virginia (PDF) (Map). Charleston, WV: West Virginia Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
- ^ a b Planning Division (March 2018). General Highway Map of Jefferson County, West Virginia (PDF) (Map). Charleston, WV: West Virginia Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
- ^ a b Google (August 12, 2018). "West Virginia Route 480" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
- ^ a b Geospatial Transportation Information Section (n.d.). Geometry & Measures Web Application (Map). Charleston, WV: West Virginia Department of Transportation. Longitude: -77.820440; Latitude: 39.423275. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
- ^ Staff (1922). Map of West Virginia Showing State Routes (Map). Charleston, WV: West Virginia State Road Commission. Retrieved August 14, 2018 – via West Virginia State Archives.
- ^ a b Martinsburg, WV quadrangle (Map) (1914 ed.). 1:48,000. 15 Minute Series (Topographic). United States Geological Survey. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
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- ^ Swain, Craig (August 8, 2007). "The James Rumsey Bridge Marker". The Historical Marker Database. Springfield, VA: J.J. Prats. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ^ Shepherdstown, WV quadrangle (Map) (1944 ed.). 1:31,680. 7.5 Minute Series (Topographic). United States Geological Survey. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ^ Maryland State Highway Administration (1975). Maryland: Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map) (1975–1976 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Highway Administration.
- ^ Maryland State Highway Administration (1977). Maryland: Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Highway Administration.
- ^ Maryland State Highway Administration (1993). Maryland: Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Highway Administration.
- ^ a b Williams, Wanda T. (August 13, 2004). "Girders giving Rumsey bridge a new look". The Herald-Mail. Hagerstown, MD: The Herald-Mail Company. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ^ Bosely, Candice (July 16, 2005). "New James Rumsey Bridge opens to vehicles, pedestrians". The Herald-Mail. Hagerstown, MD: The Herald-Mail Company. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
External links
- Media related to West Virginia Route 480 at Wikimedia Commons