Route information | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Maintained by VDOT | ||||
Length | 77.58 mi [1] [2] [3] (124.85 km) | |||
Existed | 1940–present | |||
Tourist routes | Virginia Byway | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | NC 16 near Jefferson, NC | |||
North end | WV 16 near Bishop, WV | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Virginia | |||
Counties | Grayson, Smyth, Tazewell | |||
Highway system | ||||
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State Route 16 is a primary state highway in the southwest part of the U.S. state of Virginia. It runs from the North Carolina border at North Carolina Highway 16 north to the West Virginia border at West Virginia Route 16, passing through the towns of Troutdale, Marion, and Tazewell. Highway 16 is part of a three-state route 16 that connects the Charlotte region with northwestern West Virginia.
SR 16 begins at the North Carolina state line near the community of Grassy Creek, where North Carolina Highway 16 ends. (Mayberry Road/State Route 856, the old alignment of SR 16, crosses a bit to the east, and quickly joins SR 16.) SR 16 heads in a general east-northeasterly direction alongside minor creeks until it reaches Wilson Creek. It crosses that creek and heads east (downstream) alongside it to the junction with U.S. Route 58 at Mouth of Wilson.
SR 16 and US 58 overlap northwest from Mouth of Wilson next to a minor creek and then next to Wilson Creek, this time heading upstream. At Volney, US 58 turns west, along with Wilson Creek, and SR 16 continues uphill, northward and northwestward past Grant and Troutdale, to its crossing of the Tennessee Valley Divide at Dickey Gap between Hurricane Mountain and Straight Mountain in the Iron Mountains.
Soon after crossing the divide, State Route 650, once the alignment of U.S. Route 58, splits off to the west, while SR 16 heads northeast and downhill to Sugar Grove. After a flat area near Sugar Grove, SR 16 again heads uphill, north and northwest across Brushy Mountain and the Appalachian Trail. It then runs northwest, following Staley Creek downhill past Attoway and Furnace Hill and through several gaps into Marion. Between Sugar Grove and Trout Dale(Grayson County) SR 16 share a routing concurrency with US Bicycle Route 76.
SR 16 enters the town of Marion on Commerce Street, meeting Interstate 81 and then State Route 217 (the Southwestern Virginia Mental Health Institute driveways). At Main Street (U.S. Route 11), SR 16 turns northeast, overlapping US 11 out of downtown to Park Boulevard. There it turns northwest to the city limits.
The road again heads uphill, passing the west shore of Hungry Mother Lake and the entrance to Hungry Mother State Park (State Route 348). SR 16 crosses Walker Mountain in a curving route, coming down into the Rich Valley and crossing the North Fork Holston River at Chatham Hill and State Route 42 soon after at Black Hill. Again SR 16 heads uphill, climbing Brushy Mountain to the county line.
Another twisty descent takes SR 16 down Brushy Mountain into the Freestone Valley, but almost immediately it must rise again to cross Clinch Mountain. This time, a single hairpin turn takes it into the wide Thompson Valley, where it passes the community of Thompson Valley. A gap between Knob Mountain and Rich Mountain leads to U.S. Route 19/460 Business at Frog Level, just east of the north end of State Route 91.
SR 16 turns northeast along US 19/460 Business into Tazewell, meeting the State Route 16 Alternate (Fairground Road) shortcut along the way. The overlapped routes pass through downtown Tazewell on Main Street and Fincastle Turnpike; SR 16 then splits to the northwest on Tazewell Avenue. It crosses the U.S. Route 19/U.S. Route 460 bypass of Tazewell on its way to the west end of State Route 61 at North Tazewell, still inside the town of Tazewell. SR 16 turns west where it meets SR 61, paralleling the Clinch River to the north end of SR 16 Alternate at River Jack. There it turns north and leaves Tazewell.
SR 16 begins to rise again, passing Adria on its way to the community of Stony Ridge, then crossing the Tennessee Valley Divide again there. The road then descends the ridge to the northwest, crossing into West Virginia and becoming West Virginia Route 16 near the community of Bishop.
The section of SR 16 that passes between Marion and Tazewell is called the Back of the Dragon. It is a noted route of 32 miles (51 km) that has several hundred sharp turns, scenic overlooks and is a favorite of bicycle, motorcycle and sports car enthusiasts from several countries. [4]
The Back of the Dragon crosses Big Walker, Brushy and Clinch Mountains along its route that runs from Hungry Mother State Park north of Marion for 32 miles (51 km) to Tazewell. Larry Brent Davidson spearheaded the naming of this section of the road because the route reminded him of the humps on the back of a dragon. [5]
The turn count varies considerably with estimates of between 260 and 438 turns. [6]
The speed limit is generally 55 miles per hour (89 km/h) with many turns marked at 15 miles per hour (24 km/h). Loose gravel, fallen rocks, agricultural trucks and vehicles suddenly coming out on the road, has led to 12 crashes, 13 injuries and no fatalities between 2013 and 2018, according to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. [6]
One of the first two pieces of current SR 16 to be added to the state highway system was the road from Mouth of Wilson north to State Route 650 (Comers Creek Road) north of Troutdale, which was part of State Route 12 (the predecessor to U.S. Route 58) by 1923. [7] Part of this, from Mouth of Wilson to Volney, still carries US 58.
At the other end, the State Highway Commission recommended that the General Assembly add the road from Tazewell north to North Tazewell to the state highway system in late 1921, as part of a relocation of State Route 11 (now U.S. Route 19/U.S. Route 460) to serve North Tazewell rather than Tazewell. [8] The relocation was not made, but the spur and its continuation north to West Virginia was added, and was numbered State Route 117 in the 1923 renumbering. [9] (The current route of US 19/US 460 does bypass Tazewell on much the same alignment as the SHC recommended.)
By 1927, SR 117 had become part of State Route 105, which continued south from Tazewell to Glade Spring along current State Route 91. [10] This part of SR 16 north of Tazewell, along with the road south to Glade Spring, was renumbered State Route 112 in the 1928 renumbering and State Route 81 in the 1933 renumbering, not being split at Tazewell until 1940.
In 1928, the next piece of SR 16, running north and south from State Route 10 (now U.S. Route 11 in Marion, 6.8 miles (10.9 km) in each direction, was added to the state highway system as State Route 113. [11] Further extensions were added south to SR 12 (now State Route 650) in 1930 and 1931 [12] [13] and north for 1.90 miles (3.06 km) and 3.00 miles (4.83 km) in 1931 and 1932 respectively [14] [15] (taking it to Chatham Hill). In 1932, a 4.78-mile (7.69 km) piece on the other side of Brushy Mountain was added, from SR 11 near Tazewell [16] south to SR 602 (Pleasant Hill Church Road) at Criggers. [17]
Both pieces of SR 113 - through Marion and south from Tazewell - became State Route 88 in the 1933 renumbering. In 1933 and 1934, the Marion section was extended north to State Route 42. [18] [19] The final piece in Smyth County was added in 1936; [20] the gap in Tazewell County was filled in 1937 and 1938. [21] [22]
The whole piece of present SR 16 from State Route 12 (now U.S. Route 58) at Mouth of Wilson southwest to North Carolina Highway 681 (now North Carolina Highway 16) was added in 1931 as State Route 139. [14] It was renumbered State Route 92 in the 1933 renumbering.
In the 1940 renumbering, the present route of State Route 16 was assigned over all of SR 92 and SR 88 and the part of SR 81 north of Tazewell. (The rest of SR 81 was simultaneously renumbered State Route 91, and U.S. Route 58 was removed from the Volney-Troutdale piece of SR 16.) [23] At the same time, North Carolina Highway 681 and West Virginia Route 12 were renumbered as North Carolina Highway 16 and West Virginia Route 16, forming a three-state route.
County | Location | mi [1] [2] [3] | km | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grayson | | 0.00 | 0.00 | NC 16 south – Jefferson | Continuation from North Carolina |
Mouth of Wilson | 4.06 | 6.53 | US 58 east (Wilson Highway) – Independence, Galax | South end of US 58 concurrency | |
Volney | 8.05 | 12.96 | US 58 west (Highlands Parkway) – Damascus | North end of US 58 concurrency | |
Smyth | Dickey Gap | 17.4 | 28.0 | SR 650 (Comers Creek Road) | former SR 81 west |
Sugar Grove | 22.6 | 36.4 | SR 601 (Teas Road) – St. Clair Bottom, Teas, Thomas Bridge | ||
22.8 | 36.7 | SR 695 (Slemp Creek Road) – Cedar Springs | former planned SR 81 east | ||
Marion | 31.15 | 50.13 | I-81 – Abingdon, Wytheville | I-81 exit 45 | |
32.20 | 51.82 | SR 217 (State Street) – Southwestern Virginia Mental Health Institute | |||
32.88 | 52.92 | US 11 south (Main Street) – Chilhowie, Lincoln Theatre | South end of US 11 concurrency | ||
34.07 | 54.83 | US 11 north (Main Street) to I-81 – Wytheville | North end of US 11 concurrency | ||
| 37.86 | 60.93 | SR 348 east (Hungry Mother Drive) – Hungry Mother Park | ||
| 47.29 | 76.11 | SR 42 west (Blue Grass Trail) – Broadford | South end of SR 42 concurrency | |
| 47.61 | 76.62 | SR 42 east (Old Wilderness Road) – Bland | North end of SR 42 concurrency | |
Tazewell | Frog Level | 63.63 | 102.40 | US 19 Bus. south / US 460 Bus. west (Crab Orchard Road) – Bristol, Grundy | South end of US 19 Bus. / US 460 Bus. concurrency |
Tazewell | 65.38 | 105.22 | SR 16 Alt. north (Fairground Road) | ||
66.63 | 107.23 | US 19 Bus. north / US 460 Bus. east (Fincastle Turnpike) | North end of US 19 Bus. / US 460 Bus. concurrency | ||
67.46 | 108.57 | US 19 / US 460 – Claypool Hill, Bluefield | US 19 / US 460 exit 2 | ||
67.90 | 109.27 | SR 61 east (East Riverside Drive) | |||
69.20 | 111.37 | SR 16 Alt. south (Fairground Road) | |||
Bishop | 77.58 | 124.85 | WV 16 north – Welch | Continuation to West Virginia | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
|
Location | Tazewell |
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Length | 1.61 mi [3] (2.59 km) |
State Route 16 Alternate is a primary state highway in and near the town of Tazewell, Virginia, United States. It is an alternate route of State Route 16, with both ends in Tazewell; the route is shorter than staying on SR 16 through Tazewell.
SR 16 Alternate begins at SR 16 where it overlaps U.S. Route 19/460 Business in southwestern Tazewell. It generally heads northwest, leaving the town before interchanging with the U.S. Route 19/U.S. Route 460 bypass. SR 16 Alternate re-enters Tazewell, crossing the Clinch River before ending at SR 16 in the River Jack area of Tazewell.
SR 16 Alternate was added to the primary state highway system in 1953; it had been secondary State Route 631. [24]
State Route 31 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs 24.56 miles (39.53 km) from U.S. Route 460 in Wakefield north to SR 5 and SR 199 in Williamsburg. SR 31 is the primary north–south highway of Surry County, where the highway serves the towns of Surry and Dendron. The state highway also connects Williamsburg with Jamestown. The sections of SR 31 on either side of the James River are connected by the Jamestown Ferry.
State Route 114 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known as Peppers Ferry Road, the state highway runs 10.32 miles (16.61 km) from U.S. Route 11 in Fairlawn east to US 460 in Christiansburg. SR 114 is the northernmost of three east–west highways between Radford and Christiansburg and the most direct highway between Radford and Blacksburg. The state highway also connects those cities with the Radford Army Ammunition Plant.
State Route 169 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs 7.41 miles (11.93 km) from Interstate 64 (I-64) and U.S. Route 60 to US 258 within the independent city of Hampton. SR 169 is a C-shaped route that connects the Hampton neighborhoods of Phoebus, Buckroe Beach, and Fox Hill.
State Route 70 is a primary state highway in Lee County, Virginia, running from the Tennessee state line to U.S. Route 58 in Jonesville. Its continuation in Tennessee, also numbered State Route 70, continues south to the North Carolina state line at North Carolina Highway 208.
State Route 72 is a primary state highway in the southwest part of the U.S. state of Virginia. It runs from SR 71 in Gate City north to SR 65 at Fort Blackmore, northeast with SR 65 to Dungannon, and north via Coeburn to SR 83 near Clintwood.
State Route 75 is a primary state highway in the southwest part of the U.S. state of Virginia, running southwest from U.S. Route 11 and U.S. Route 58 Alternate in Abingdon to Tennessee's State Route 44.
State Route 67 is a primary state highway in the southwest part of the U.S. state of Virginia. It runs from SR 80 near Honaker east to U.S. Route 460 at Raven, east concurrently with US 460 and US 460 Business into downtown Richlands, and north to SR 616 at Jewell Ridge on the Tazewell–Buchanan county line.
U.S. Route 460 (US 460) in Virginia runs west-east through the southern part of the Commonwealth. The road has two separate pieces in Virginia, joined by a relatively short section in West Virginia. Most of US 460 is a four-lane divided highway and is a major artery in the southern third of the state. From Petersburg to Suffolk, US 460 is a four-lane non-divided highway. It is a popular alternative to Interstate 64 (I-64) when going from Richmond and other points in central Virginia to the Currituck Sound and Outer Banks of North Carolina, avoiding the congestion and tunnels of the more northerly I-64 corridor. The road passes through several small towns that built up at stops along the railroad line.
U.S. Route 19 (US 19) is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from Memphis, Florida, to Erie, Pennsylvania. In Virginia, the highway runs 88.89 miles (143.05 km) between two pairs of twin cities: Bristol, Tennessee, and Bristol, Virginia, at the Virginia–Tennessee state line, and Bluefield, Virginia, and Bluefield, West Virginia, at the Virginia–West Virginia state line. Between its endpoints, US 19 has lengthy concurrencies with US 11, US 58 Alternate, and US 460 during its course connecting Abingdon, Lebanon, and Tazewell within Washington, Russell, and Tazewell counties in Southwest Virginia.
State Route 69 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known as Lead Mine Road, the state highway runs 3.59 miles (5.78 km) from SR 636 in Austinville east to U.S. Route 52 in Poplar Camp. SR 69 is the last remnant of a much longer route. At its peak from 1940 to 1945, this route ran from State Route 91 at Lodi east via St. Clair Bottom, Sugar Grove, Cedar Springs, Speedwell, Porters Crossroads, and Austinville to today's SR 69. However, it was never fully continuous; portions from Sugar Grove to Cedar Springs and west of Porters Crossroads to east of Austinville were secondary routes. The full length of this route as it existed and was planned is now part of SR 762, part of SR 660, all of SR 650, part of SR 16, all of SR 614, part of SR 749, part of US 21, part of SR 690, a small piece of SR 642, part of SR 619, part of SR 636, and SR 69.
State Route 84 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known as Mill Gap Road, the state highway runs 14.94 miles (24.04 km) from the West Virginia state line near Mill Gap, where the highway continues west as West Virginia Route 84, east to U.S. Route 220 at Vanderpool.
State Route 13 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known as Old Buckingham Road, the state highway runs 24.08 miles (38.75 km) from U.S. Route 60 and SR 45 in Cumberland east to US 60 in Plain View. SR 13 parallels US 60 to the south through eastern Cumberland County and western Powhatan County and passes through the latter county's seat of Powhatan. The state highway is the only state-numbered highway in Virginia that shares a number with a U.S. Highway but does not form a state-numbered extension of that U.S. Highway. SR 13's number comes from being a segment of the original cross-state SR 13 in 1918; that highway included portions of modern US 60. In 1933, US 60 was shifted to its present corridor between Buena Vista and Richmond, replacing SR 13. Two years later, SR 13 was assigned to Old Buckingham Road when US 60 was moved to its present alignment from Cumberland to east of Powhatan.
State Route 8 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs 55.88 miles (89.93 km) from the North Carolina state line near Palmetto, where the highway continues south as North Carolina Highway 8, north to U.S. Route 11 in Christiansburg. SR 8 is part of a 151-mile (243 km) two-state highway 8 system and is the main north–south highway of Patrick County, Floyd County, and southern Montgomery County, connecting their respective county seats of Stuart, Floyd, and Christiansburg with each other and with the Blue Ridge Parkway. The state highway also links the New River Valley region of Virginia with Southside Virginia via US 58 and the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina via NC 8.
State Route 170 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known as Little Creek Road, the state highway runs 2.65 miles (4.26 km) from SR 165 east to U.S. Route 60 within the independent city of Norfolk. SR 170 is the eastern part of the connection between Naval Station Norfolk and Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek.