This article needs additional citations for verification .(January 2007) |
Route information | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Maintained by VDOT | ||||
Length | 30.11 mi [1] (48.46 km) | |||
Existed | 1933–present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | NC 168 near Moyock, NC | |||
| ||||
North end | I-64 / US 60 in Norfolk | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Virginia | |||
Highway system | ||||
|
State Route 168 is a primary state highway in the South Hampton Roads region of the U.S. state of Virginia. It runs from the border with North Carolina (where it continues as North Carolina Highway 168 towards the Outer Banks) through the independent cities of Chesapeake and Norfolk where it ends in the Ocean View area near the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel.
SR 168 consists of three sections with different characteristics. From North Carolina to the junction with Interstate 64 and Interstate 464, SR 168 is mostly built to freeway standards as a major road into North Carolina; part of it — the Chesapeake Expressway — is a toll road. From I-64 north into downtown Norfolk, SR 168 is a local road; I-464 carries most through traffic. The rest of SR 168, from downtown Norfolk north to Ocean View, is Tidewater Drive, an arterial road with some interchanges, built to carry traffic to the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel before Interstate 64 opened.
SR 168 was originally constructed in the 1930s on the north side of Hampton Roads as Merrimack Trail, mainly as a bypass of U.S. Route 60 from Newport News past Williamsburg (now State Route 143). It was extended across Hampton Roads (via the Newport News-Pine Beach (Norfolk) Ferry) in the mid-1940s, but did not move onto its current alignment to North Carolina until 1957, when the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel opened. As the new freeway (Interstate 64) opened past Williamsburg, SR 168 was shifted to it; it was truncated to its current extent around 1980.
The SR 168 designation was applied in the 1933 renumbering to three individual roadways: State Route 529 (northwest from Newport News towards Lee Hall), State Route 532 (Newport News to Hampton via Shell Road), and State Route 533 (King Street from Rip Rap Road — then State Route 513 — south into Hampton). Another piece, from Hampton east on Pembroke Avenue towards Buckroe Beach, was added to the state highway system in 1932, [2] and was extended to Buckroe Beach in 1936. [3] In the 1930s, SR 168 was extended northwest to State Route 53 (now State Route 30) near Barhamsville. It used Jefferson Avenue and 35th Street in Newport News and Shell Road, Newport News Avenue, Back River Road, Rip Rap Road, King Street, and Pembroke Avenue in Hampton; see State Route 143 (Barhamsville to Hampton) and State Route 351 (Hampton to Buckroe Beach) for more history. It intersected U.S. Route 60 at Anderson's Corner, near Toano in James City County.
Route 168 was part of a system of state-funded highway improvements after World War II which preceded the federally funded Interstate Highway System in Virginia. It provided substantial traffic relief to a number of heavily traveled older U.S. highways, notably including U.S. Route 60 on the Virginia Peninsula and U.S. Route 460 in the Cities of Norfolk and South Norfolk and U.S. Route 17 in Norfolk County (now City of Chesapeake) in South Hampton Roads.
In Chesapeake, the route originally ran along New Green Sea Road, now known as Battlefield Boulevard, due to its proximity from the Battle of Great Bridge. [4] This arterial is now bypassed by several roads: the Chesapeake Expressway (a toll road completed in 2001), the Great Bridge Bypass (a bypass route constructed in 1980 and improved through the 1990s), and the Oak Grove Connector (a link from the Great Bridge Bypass to Interstate 464 completed in 1999). From the north end of the Oak Grove Connector, Route 168 overlaps Interstate 64 until it rejoins Battlefield Boulevard. The sections of the boulevard bypassed by the mentioned roads are now designated State Route 168 Business.
From I-64 in Chesapeake, Route 168 follows several roads until it crosses into the City of Norfolk and eventually runs along Tidewater Drive (following the path of the earlier Cottage Toll Road) until reaching its terminus at West Ocean View Avenue (U.S. Route 60) near Fourth View Street in the Willoughby Spit area.
The Route 168 designation formerly continued northwesterly along West Ocean View Avenue and crossed the Hampton Roads Ferry System from Willoughby Bay to Old Point Comfort in the Town of Phoebus in Elizabeth City County (communities which were consolidated into the newly enlarged City of Hampton in 1952).
When it first opened to traffic on November 1, 1957, the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel originally carried the VA-168 designation (as a toll facility). The Route 168 signage and tolls were both removed when the crossing was expanded in 1976 as part of the federally funded Interstate 64 improvements, which included four-laning the crossing.
The SR 168 designation also formerly applied to a routing on the Virginia Peninsula from Anderson's Corner near Toano west of Williamsburg to the Hampton Roads Ferry landing at Old Point Comfort near Fort Monroe. Known as the Merrimack Trail, the road was a major additional highway which was built in the years prior to the creation of the Interstate Highway System, and was replaced as a major through route by Interstate 64, in segments as that new road was completed.
Small portions of the roadway on the Peninsula originally signed as SR 168 became portions of State Route 30 (from Anderson's Corner to Croaker) and Interstate 64 (Exit 231 to Exit 238). However, most of it from Exit 238 on I-64 east was redesignated as State Route 143, which continues to serve as an alternative to U.S. Route 60 most of its length. After Interstate 64 was completed on the Peninsula, both Routes 60 and 143 with many at-grade intersections and businesses became more major conduits for local traffic than through-traffic routes.
County | Location | mi [1] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
City of Chesapeake | 0.00 | 0.00 | NC 168 south (Caratoke Highway) – Nags Head | North Carolina state line; southern terminus | ||
1 | 1.6 | Old Battlefield Road to Ballahack Road | former SR 193 west | |||
1.79 | 2.88 | SR 168 Bus. north (Battlefield Boulevard) / Gallbush Road | Southern end of freeway; southern terminus of SR 168 Bus. | |||
Toll Plaza - Cars $4 ($9 on summer weekends) [5] | ||||||
4.71 | 7.58 | 5 | SR 168 Bus. (Battlefield Boulevard) | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
7.65 | 12.31 | 8 | Hillcrest Parkway | signed as exits 8A (west) and 8B (east) southbound | ||
9.86 | 15.87 | 10 | Hanbury Road | signed as exits 10A (west) and 10B (east) | ||
11.36 | 18.28 | 11 | SR 165 (Mt. Pleasant Road) – Great Bridge | signed as exits 11A (south) and 11B (north) southbound | ||
12 | SR 190 east (Kempsville Road) | Northbound exit only (other access is at exit 13) | ||||
13.85 | 22.29 | 13A–B | SR 168 Bus. (Battlefield Boulevard) / SR 190 – Great Bridge | signed as exits 13A (north) and 13B (south) | ||
15B | US 17 south – Elizabeth City | |||||
15.67 | 25.22 | I-64 / US 17 north (Hampton Roads Beltway inner loop) / I-464 north to I-664 north – Portsmouth, Suffolk, Richmond, Norfolk | south end of I-64 overlap; SR 168 north follows exit 15A; SR 168 south follows exit 291B; I-464 exit 1 | |||
16.49 | 26.54 | I-64 (Hampton Roads Beltway outer loop) / SR 168 Bus. south (Battlefield Boulevard) – Virginia Beach, Great Bridge | north end of I-64 overlap; SR 168 north follows exit 290A | |||
17.31 | 27.86 | US 13 (Military Highway) | Interchange | |||
19.75 | 31.78 | Campostella Road / to Liberty Street (SR 246) / to Border Road | interchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance | |||
City of Norfolk | 20.62 | 33.18 | SR 407 (Indian River Road) | |||
20.88 | 33.60 | US 460 west / SR 166 south / SR 337 Alt. south (Wilson Road) | Southern end of US 460 / SR 166 / SR 337 Alt. concurrency; no left turn northbound | |||
Campostella Bridge over Eastern Branch Elizabeth River | ||||||
21.61 | 34.78 | I-264 east to I-64 / Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel – Virginia Beach, Airport | I-264 exit 11 | |||
21.91 | 35.26 | SR 166 north (Park Avenue) | Northern end of SR 166 concurrency | |||
22.31 | 35.90 | US 460 east (Brambleton Avenue / SR 337 east) to I-264 west / Tidewater Drive (SR 337 west) – Portsmouth, Berkley | Northern end of US 460 / SR 337 Alt. concurrency | |||
22.62 | 36.40 | US 58 (Virginia Beach Boulevard) | ||||
Princess Anne Road (SR 404 east) | Western terminus of SR 404 | |||||
SR 247 (Lafayette Boulevard) | ||||||
26.50 | 42.65 | I-64 (Hampton Roads Beltway) / Terminal Boulevard / Chesapeake Boulevard – Hampton, Richmond, Naval Base, Virginia Beach | Exit 277 (I-64) | |||
27.06 | 43.55 | SR 165 (Little Creek Road) | interchange | |||
29.36 | 47.25 | US 460 (Granby Street) to I-64 – Ocean View, Willoughby | interchange; south end of US 60 Alt. overlap (northbound only) | |||
Peach Tree Street | interchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance | |||||
Mason Creek Road to US 60 east – Ocean View, Willoughby | north end of US 60 Alt. overlap (northbound only); south end of US 60 west overlap (northbound only) | |||||
30.11 | 48.46 | US 60 west (4th View Street) to I-64 (Hampton Roads Tunnel) | Northern terminus; north end of US 60 west overlap (northbound only) | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
|
Location | Chesapeake, Virginia |
---|---|
Length | 12.06 mi [1] (19.41 km) |
The Chesapeake Expressway is the name of the portion of SR 168 that is mostly a toll road in Chesapeake built chiefly to facilitate tourist traffic from the Hampton Roads cities en route to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Built to freeway standards, the expressway travels from the US 17, I-64, and I-464 interchange in northern Chesapeake southward to near the North Carolina border in the far southern part of the city. The one toll plaza is located near Indian Creek Road with the freeway portion ending at Battlefield Boulevard (SR 168 Bus.) a short distance south of there. SR 168 then continues southward as an expressway until it meets NC 168 at the state line.
Construction began in 1999 and the road fully opened in 2001. As of 2021 [update] , tolls for a 2-axle passenger vehicle are $9.00 [6] during weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and $4.00 at all other times (tolls were previously $2.00 and then $3.00 at all times). E-ZPass is accepted.
Location | Chesapeake, Virginia |
---|---|
Length | 14.40 mi [1] (23.17 km) |
State Route 168 Business is a 14.40-mile (23.17 km) [1] business route of SR 168. The entire length is also known as Battlefield Boulevard. This was originally a part of SR 168 before the Chesapeake Expressway was completed. This highway is often used to avoid the toll on the main expressway—drivers travelling North make a left turn at VA 168 Business, then enter the expressway at Hillcrest Parkway.
The Great Bridge Bridge is a double-leaf rolling bascule drawbridge that carries Battlefield Blvd (SR 168 Bus.) and spans the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway in Chesapeake, Virginia. It was constructed in 2004 by the Army Corps of Engineers and is operated by the City of Chesapeake. It has a mean daily traffic of 35,000 vehicles.
The entire route is in the independent city of Chesapeake.
County | Location | mi [1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
City of Chesapeake | 0.00 | 0.00 | SR 168 (Battlefield Boulevard / Chesapeake Expressway) – Norfolk, Nags Head | Southern terminus | |
SR 168 south (Chesapeake Expressway) | Access from SR 168 northbound / to SR 168 southbound only, exit 5 (SR 168) | ||||
8.13 | 13.08 | SR 168 south (Chesapeake Expressway) | Only access to southbound SR 168 from SR 168 Bus. southbound | ||
8.41 | 13.53 | Hanbury Road to SR 168 | |||
10.11 | 16.27 | SR 165 north (Mt. Pleasant Road) | Southern end of SR 165 concurrency | ||
10.37 | 16.69 | SR 165 south (Cedar Road) | Northern end of SR 165 concurrency | ||
11.61 | 18.68 | SR 190 (Great Bridge Boulevard / Kempsville Road) | |||
Great Bridge Bridge over the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway | |||||
11.78 | 18.96 | SR 168 (Great Bridge Bypass) – Nags Head, Norfolk, Suffolk | Exit 13 (SR 168) | ||
14.40 | 23.17 | I-64 (Hampton Roads Beltway) / SR 168 north – Virginia Beach, Suffolk, Richmond | Exit 290 (I-64) & 1 (I-464); northern terminus | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
|
Campostella Bridge | |
---|---|
Carries | US 460 / SR 168 / SR 166 Vehicles, Pedestrians |
Crosses | Elizabeth River |
Locale | Norfolk, Virginia |
Owner | City of Norfolk |
ID number | 0020936 |
Characteristics | |
Total length | 2,482 feet (757 m) |
Width | 94.2 feet (28.7 m) |
History | |
Opened | 1986 |
Statistics | |
Daily traffic | 34,000 |
References | |
"Virginia Bridge Information". |
The part of SR 168 that crosses the Elizabeth River utilizes the six-lane Campostella Bridge. The bridge is also the route carrier for US 460. Owned and operated by the city of Norfolk, it serves as an alternate route to the Berkley Bridge, which also crosses the same span of water on Interstate 264.
Interstate 664 (I-664) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US state of Virginia. The Interstate runs 20.79 miles (33.46 km) from I-64 and I-264 in Chesapeake north to I-64 in Hampton. I-664 forms the west side of the Hampton Roads Beltway, a circumferential highway serving the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. The Interstate crosses Hampton Roads via the Monitor–Merrimac Memorial Bridge–Tunnel (MMMBT) between Suffolk and Newport News. I-664 is connected to the other major cities of the metropolitan area—Portsmouth, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach—by I-264. The Interstate also has a connection to Portsmouth through State Route 164 (SR 164) and to Suffolk via U.S. Route 13 (US 13), US 58, and US 460.
The Hampton Roads Beltway is a loop of Interstate 64 and Interstate 664, which links the communities of the Virginia Peninsula and South Hampton Roads which surround the body of water known as Hampton Roads and comprise much of the region of the same name in the southeastern portion of Virginia in the United States. It crosses the harbor of Hampton Roads at two locations on large four-laned bridge-tunnel facilities: the eastern half carries Interstate 64 and uses the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and the western half carries Interstate 664 and uses the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel. The beltway has the clockwise direction signed as the Inner Loop, and the counter-clockwise direction signed as the Outer Loop. The entire beltway, including the bridge-tunnels, is owned and operated by the Virginia Department of Transportation.
Interstate 264 (I-264) is an Interstate Highway in the US state of Virginia. It serves as the primary east–west highway through the South Hampton Roads region in southeastern Virginia. The route connects the central business districts of Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach and serves as the most direct link between those cities and the resort beaches along Virginia's Atlantic coast.
Military Highway is a four-to-eight-lane roadway built in the South Hampton Roads region of eastern Virginia, United States, during World War II. Carrying US 13 for most of its length, it also carries US 58, and US 460 while in Chesapeake. It is a major alternate route for the Hampton Roads Beltway, crossing four major freeways along its length.
Interstate 464 (I-464) is an Interstate Highway in the US state of Virginia. The highway runs 5.67 miles (9.12 km) from U.S. Route 17 (US 17) and State Route 168 (SR 168) in Chesapeake north to I-264 in Norfolk. I-464 connects two major highway junctions in the South Hampton Roads region. At its southern end, the Interstate meets two major highways that head toward North Carolina, US 17 and SR 168, and I-64, which follows the southern side of the Hampton Roads Beltway. At its northern terminus, I-464 has connections with Downtown Norfolk and Portsmouth via I-264.
Interstate 564 (I-564) is an Interstate Highway in the US state of Virginia. Known as Admiral Taussig Boulevard, after US Navy Rear Admiral Edward D. Taussig, the Interstate runs 3.03 miles (4.88 km) from State Route 337 (SR 337) east to I-64 within the city of Norfolk. I-564 is the primary access highway to Naval Station Norfolk, the world's largest naval base. The Interstate also links I-64 with Norfolk International Terminals via SR 406 and the Wards Corner area of Norfolk through connections with U.S. Route 460 (US 460) and SR 165.
Transportation in the Commonwealth of Virginia is by land, sea and air. Virginia's extensive network of highways and railroads were developed and built over a period almost 400 years, beginning almost immediately after the founding of Jamestown in 1607, and often incorporating old established trails of the Native Americans.
State Route 337 is a primary state highway in the South Hampton Roads area of the U.S. state of Virginia. It runs east from Suffolk to Portsmouth, where it crosses Jordan Bridge. It continues on the east side of the Southern Branch Elizabeth River in the South Norfolk neighborhood of Chesapeake. There it turns north, through Norfolk, crossing the Berkley Bridge into downtown, and ending at the Naval Station Norfolk at Sewell's Point. Most of its length was formed when other highways were rerouted: U.S. Route 460 from Suffolk to South Norfolk, SR 170 from South Norfolk to downtown Norfolk, and US 17 from downtown Norfolk to Sewell's Point. SR 337 is the only numbered highway to cross all three Branches of the Elizabeth River. It crosses the Western Branch as Portsmouth Boulevard at the Hodges Ferry Bridge, the Southern Branch on the Jordan Bridge, and the Eastern Branch on the Berkley Bridge. The Berkley Bridge is a drawbridge. SR 337 also crosses the Lafayette River in the city of Norfolk.
State Route 351 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known for most of its length as Pembroke Avenue, the state highway runs 8.81 miles (14.18 km) from U.S. Route 60 in Newport News east to Second Street in Hampton.
U.S. Route 13 (US 13) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway established in 1926 that runs for 518 miles (834 km) from Interstate 95 (I-95) just north of Fayetteville, North Carolina, north to US 1 in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, a northeastern suburb of Philadelphia. In the U.S. state of Virginia, US 13 runs north–south through the Hampton Roads and Eastern Shore regions of the state, using the Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel to get between the two. In the Hampton Roads area, it uses Military Highway to bypass the city centers. It is most usually a four-lane highway, sometimes up to freeway or expressway standards with controlled access.
U.S. Route 17 (US 17) is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from Punta Gorda, Florida, to Winchester, Virginia. In Virginia, the U.S. Highway runs 255.83 miles (411.72 km) from the North Carolina state line in Chesapeake north to its northern terminus at US 11, US 50, and US 522 in Winchester. US 17 is a major highway in the eastern half of Virginia. The U.S. Highway connects the Albemarle Region of North Carolina with the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. Within the urban area, US 17 passes through the South Hampton Roads cities of Chesapeake, Portsmouth, and Suffolk and the Virginia Peninsula city of Newport News. Between Yorktown and Fredericksburg, the U.S. Highway serves as the primary highway of the Middle Peninsula. At Fredericksburg, US 17 leaves the Atlantic Plain; the highway passes through the Piedmont town of Warrenton and crosses the Blue Ridge Mountains on its way to Winchester in the Shenandoah Valley. The route from Tappahannock to Winchester roughly follows the Confederate march during the Civil War to Gettysburg.
U.S. Route 60 (US 60) in the Commonwealth of Virginia runs 303 miles (488 km) west to east through the central part of the state, generally close to and paralleling the Interstate 64 corridor, except for the crossing of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and in the South Hampton Roads area.
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.
State Route 165 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs 39.75 miles (63.97 km) from U.S. Route 17 Business in Chesapeake north to SR 337 in Norfolk. SR 165 is a C-shaped route that connects Chesapeake and Norfolk in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area indirectly via Virginia Beach. The highway's east–west segment connects the Chesapeake communities of Deep Creek and Great Bridge with the Princess Anne part of Virginia Beach. SR 165's northwest–southeast portion connects the Princess Anne area with Virginia Beach's Salem and Kempsville communities and with Norfolk. Within Norfolk, the state highway parallels Interstate 64 (I-64) while passing through the eastern and northern areas of the city near Norfolk International Airport and Naval Station Norfolk. Much of SR 165 is a multi-lane divided highway, but there are significant two-lane stretches in all three of the independent cities the highway serves.
State Route 166 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs 15.47 miles (24.90 km) from U.S. Route 17 in Chesapeake north to US 60 in Virginia Beach.
State Route 190 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs 15.43 miles (24.83 km) from SR 166 in Chesapeake east and north to SR 225 in Virginia Beach. SR 190 is a J-shaped route that connects the central part of Chesapeake with the western part of Virginia Beach.
Interstate 64 (I-64) in the US state of Virginia runs east–west through the middle of the state from West Virginia to the Hampton Roads region, for a total of 299 miles (481 km). From the West Virginia state line to Chesapeake, it passes through the major cities of Lexington, Staunton, Charlottesville, the state capital of Richmond, Newport News, Hampton, and Norfolk. It is notable for crossing the mouth of the harbor of Hampton Roads on the Hampton Roads Bridge–Tunnel (HRBT), the first bridge–tunnel to incorporate artificial islands, concurrent with U.S. Route 60 (US 60). Also noteworthy is a section through Rockfish Gap, a wind gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains, which was equipped with an innovative system of airport-style runway lighting embedded into the pavement to aid motorists during periods of poor visibility due to fog or other conditions.
State Route 247 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs 5.31 miles (8.55 km) from SR 337 east to SR 165 within the independent city of Norfolk. SR 247 is a major east–west thoroughfare that connects U.S. Route 460 and Interstate 64 (I-64) with Norfolk International Airport.
Located in the southeastern corner of the state, Norfolk is economically and culturally important to Virginia. A variety of transportation modes have developed around the city's importance and somewhat unusual geography.
Interstate 87 (I-87) is a partially completed Interstate Highway in the US state of North Carolina, the shortest designated primary Interstate Highway at 12.90 miles (20.76 km) long. The completed portion is in eastern Wake County, between Raleigh and Wendell; the majority of the completed route is known as the Knightdale Bypass, while the remaining three miles (4.8 km) follows the Raleigh Beltline (I-440). It is planned to continue northeast through Rocky Mount, Williamston, and Elizabeth City, ending in Norfolk, Virginia. It is signed as north–south, in keeping with the sign convention for most odd-numbered interstates, but the route goes primarily east–west, with the eastern direction aligning to the north designation. The entire route is concurrent with U.S Highway 64 (US 64), with portions also concurrent with I-440 and US 264.