Route information | ||||
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Maintained by VDOT | ||||
Length | 210.29 mi [1] (338.43 km) | |||
Existed | 1928–present | |||
Tourist routes | Virginia Byway | |||
Broadford – Poplar Hill | ||||
Length | 61.63 mi [1] (99.18 km) | |||
South end | SR 91 in Broadford | |||
Major intersections | ||||
North end | SR 100 in Poplar Hill | |||
Newport – New Castle | ||||
Length | 29.43 mi [1] (47.36 km) | |||
South end | US 460 / SR 605 in Newport | |||
North end | SR 311 / SR 615 in New Castle | |||
Nicelytown–Woodstock | ||||
Length | 119.23 mi [1] (191.88 km) | |||
South end | SR 269 / SR 632 near Nicelytown | |||
Major intersections |
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North end | US 11 / SR 670 in Woodstock | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Virginia | |||
Counties | Smyth, Bland, Giles, Craig, Alleghany, Bath, Rockbridge, Augusta, Rockingham, City of Harrisonburg, Shenandoah | |||
Highway system | ||||
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State Route 42 (SR 42) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Running parallel to and west of Interstate 81, SR 42 consists of three sections, with gaps filled by secondary routes in between. Some of SR 42 lies along the old Fincastle Turnpike. Another major piece, from near Clifton Forge to Buffalo Gap, parallels the old Virginia Central Railroad. [1] [2] [3] [4]
SR 42 begins at State Route 91 at Broadford, where SR 91 turns north to cross Brushy Mountain. SR 42 continues the east-northeasterly path of SR 91 through the valleys formed by the North Fork Holston River, crossing State Route 16 at Black Hill.
SR 42 continues past Groseclose Store and Ceres, meeting State Route 623 at Sharon Springs, the source of the North Fork Holston River. A low crossing of the Tennessee Valley Divide at about 2,850 feet (870 m) takes SR 42 into the valleys formed by Walker Creek. After passing Effna, SR 42 joins U.S. Route 52 as that route comes down from its Big Walker Mountain crossing. SR 42 crosses Interstate 77 as it approaches Bland, and, in Bland, it meets State Route 98 and parts ways with US 52, still heading east-northeast near Walker Creek. SR 42 passes Point Pleasant and Crandon, and meets State Route 738 at Mechanicsburg, before crossing Kimberling Creek, a tributary of Walker Creek, and then entering Giles County.
SR 42 continues to follow Walker Creek through Giles County, passing White Gate before ending at State Route 100 at Poplar Hill.
SR 42 formerly turned north on SR 100, following Walker Creek northeast to Staffordsville. There it turned east on current State Route 730 (now connected to SR 100 via SR 750, an old alignment of SR 100), following some smaller brooks and passing over a summit on its way to Eggleston, where it crossed the New River. SR 730 continues through a rather hilly area from Eggleston to its end at U.S. Route 460, from which US 460 follows Sinking Creek past Maybrook to the next piece of SR 42 near Newport.
SR 42 begins again at U.S. Route 460 near Newport. It crosses old US 460 in Newport and begins following Sinking Creek in a general east-northeasterly direction.
After entering Craig County, SR 42 passes the communities of Huffman, Simmonsville, and Sinking Creek, the creek with that name ending soon after. SR 42 then crosses a summit at 2,704 feet (0.824 km) and begins to parallel Meadow Creek past Looney to Meadow Creek Falls, where it reaches its first twisty section. It descends through a gap between Sinking Creek Mountain and Johns Creek Mountain and down the slopes of Johns Creek Mountain into the town of New Castle, where it ends again at State Route 311. This descent takes it from 2,570 feet (780 m) at Looney down to 1,310 feet (400 m) in New Castle.
SR 42 once continued northeast on State Route 615, part of the way to U.S. Route 220 near Eagle Rock. (The gap was never completely filled, and part of SR 615 was State Route 43.) This route generally parallels Craig Creek, which takes the waters of Meadow Creek from New Castle into the James River at Eagle Rock. From Eagle Rock, which is in Botetourt County, U.S. Route 220 heads north, mostly along the James River, to Cliftondale Park (east of Clifton Forge) in Alleghany County. There, US 220 joins Interstate 64/U.S. Route 60 to the west, but the old SR 42 heads east on old US 60 (State Route 670 and State Route 632) over a summit at about 1,220 feet (0.37 km) to State Route 269.
The third—and longest—piece of SR 42 begins where old U.S. Route 60 becomes State Route 269. SR 42 begins by heading north, along with SR 269, to exit 29 of Interstate 64/US 60. There SR 269 ends, while SR 42 heads north-northeasterly, generally following the Cowpasture River past Nicelytown and into Bath County.
SR 42 continues near the Cowpasture River past Nimrod Hall to State Route 39 at Millboro Springs. It turns east with SR 39, rising from about 1,300 feet (0.40 km) at Millboro Springs to about 1,780 feet (0.54 km) near Hotchkiss. There the ground levels out, and the combined SR 39 and SR 42 continue east, paralleling Mill Creek into Rockbridge County at Panther Gap.
SR 39 and SR 42 continue to parallel Mill Creek from Panther Gap into Goshen, where SR 39 splits to the southwest and SR 42 turns northeast, crossing the Calfpasture River. It runs alongside some small creeks on its way to Bells Valley, and continues to follow small creeks into Augusta County.
SR 42 passes through Craigsville, Following the Little Calfpasture River from there past Augusta Springs and Mount Elliott Springs to Chapin. It crosses a summit of 2,125 feet (648 m) at North Mountain and then follows Buffalo Branch through Buffalo Gap to the west end of State Route 254.
Once SR 42 passes through Buffalo Gap, the land is flatter, and the road heads cross-country, still in a north-northeasterly direction, past Churchville (where it crosses U.S. Route 250), Stover, Parnassus, Moscow, Mount Solon, and Mossy Creek.
SR 42 continues through Bridgewater, where State Route 257 joins it from the east, to Dayton. State Route 42 Business follows the old road through Dayton, and SR 257 leaves to the west, while State Route 290 crosses there. Then SR 42 enters the city of Harrisonburg on High Street. It passes straight through Harrisonburg from High Street across U.S. Route 33 (Market Street) onto Virginia Avenue, leaving the city to the north.
SR 42 continues in its north-northeasterly direction from Harrisonburg, passing Edom, Broadway (where it crosses State Route 259), and Timberville (where it weets the west end of State Route 211 and crosses the North Fork Shenandoah River, which also passes through Broadway).
At Forestville, SR 42 turns to the northwest until Getz Corner, where it again turns north-northeasterly. It passes Hudson Crossroads, Conicville, Davey Hill, and Columbia Furnace, where it meets State Route 675, formerly part of State Route 59 west into West Virginia. At Columbia Furnace, SR 42 curves to the east, using the old SR 59 past Harmony and Calvary and across Interstate 81 to its end at U.S. Route 11 and State Route 670 in southern Woodstock.
County | Location | mi [1] | km | Destinations | Notes | ||
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Smyth | Broadford | 0.00 | 0.00 | SR 91 (Saltville Highway / Veterans Road) – Saltville, Tazewell | Southern terminus of southern section | ||
| 9.59 | 15.43 | SR 16 south (B.F. Buchanan Highway) – Marion | west end of SR 16 concurrency | |||
| 9.91 | 15.95 | SR 16 north (B.F. Buchanan Highway) – Tazewell | east end of SR 16 concurrency | |||
Bland | | 33.17 | 53.38 | US 52 south (South Scenic Highway) – Wytheville | west end of US 52 concurrency | ||
| 37.14 | 59.77 | I-77 – Bluefield, Wytheville | Exit 52 (I-77) | |||
Bland | SR 98 south (Main Street) / SR 1007 (Jefferson Street) – Bland CH | Northern terminus of SR 98 | |||||
38.05 | 61.24 | US 52 north (Main Street) – Bluefield, WV Turnpike | east end of US 52 concurrency | ||||
Mechanicsburg | SR 738 (Byrnes Chapel Road) | former SR 99 south | |||||
Giles | Poplar Hill | 61.63 | 99.18 | SR 100 (Pulaski Giles Turnpike) to I-81 – Pearisburg, Dublin | Northern terminus of southern section | ||
Gap in route SR 42 followed SR 730 through Eggleston until 1948 | |||||||
Newport | 0.00 | 0.00 | US 460 (Virginia Avenue) / SR 605 west (Spruce Run Road) | Southern terminus of central section | |||
Craig | New Castle | 29.43 | 47.36 | SR 311 (Salem Avenue) / SR 615 east (Main Street) | Northern terminus of central section | ||
Gap in route | |||||||
Alleghany | | 0.00 | 0.00 | SR 269 east / SR 632 west (Longdale Furnace Road) – Sharon, Lexington | Southern end of SR 269 concurrency; southern terminus of northern section | ||
| 0.18 | 0.29 | I-64 / US 60 – Covington, Lexington | Exit 29 (I-64); northern end of SR 269 concurrency | |||
Bath | Millboro Springs | 16.64 | 26.78 | SR 39 west (Mountain Valley Road) – Warm Springs | Southern end of SR 39 concurrency | ||
Rockbridge | Goshen | SR 39 Alt. east (Main Street) – Lexington | |||||
24.84 | 39.98 | SR 39 east (Maury River Road) – Lexington | Northern end of SR 39 concurrency | ||||
Augusta | Buffalo Gap | 46.05 | 74.11 | SR 254 east (Parkersburg Turnpike) – Staunton | Western terminus of SR 254 | ||
Churchville | 51.30 | 82.56 | US 250 east (Churchville Avenue) – Staunton | Southern end of US 250 concurrency | |||
51.77 | 83.32 | US 250 west (Churchville Avenue) – Monterey | Northern end of US 250 concurrency | ||||
Stovers Shop | SR 728 (Stover Shop Road) | former SR 278 west | |||||
Moscow | SR 607 (Moscow Loop / Mount Solon Road) – Mount Solon, Spring Hill | former SR 252 south | |||||
| SR 646 (Fadley Road) to US 11 | former SR 256 east | |||||
Rockingham | Bridgewater | 68.11 | 109.61 | SR 257 east (Dinkel Avenue) to I-81 – Mount Crawford, Bridgewater College | Southern end of SR 257 concurrency | ||
Dayton | 70.84 | 114.01 | SR 257 west / SR 42 Bus. north (Mason Street) – Ottobine, Historic District | Northern end of SR 257 concurrency; southern terminus of SR 42 Bus. | |||
SR 290 (Huffman Drive) – Dayton Business District | |||||||
SR 42 Bus. south (Main Street) | Northern terminus of SR 42 Bus. | ||||||
City of Harrisonburg | 75.54 | 121.57 | US 33 (West Market Street) | ||||
Rockingham | Broadway | 88.21 | 141.96 | SR 259 Alt. east (Broadway Avenue) to US 11 | Southern end of SR 259 Alt. concurrency | ||
88.73 | 142.80 | SR 259 west (Lee Street) – West Virginia line | Northern end of SR 259 Alt. concurrency; southern end of SR 259 concurrency | ||||
89.15 | 143.47 | SR 259 east (Timberway) / SR 801 (Holsinger Road) to I-81 south / US 11 | Northern end of SR 259 concurrency | ||||
Timberville | 90.54 | 145.71 | SR 211 east (New Market Road) / SR 1517 (Fourth Street) to I-81 / US 11 – New Market | ||||
Shenandoah | Forestville | SR 614 (South Middle Road) / SR 767 (Quicksburg Road) to US 11 – Quicksburg | former SR 262 east | ||||
| 102.88 | 165.57 | SR 263 (Orkney Grade) – Basye, Orkney Springs, Mount Jackson | ||||
Columbia Furnace | SR 768 west (Union Church Road) to SR 675 / SR 623 – Saint Luke, Wolf Gap, Liberty Furnace, Jerome | former SR 59 west | |||||
Woodstock | 118.60 | 190.87 | I-81 – Strasburg, Edinburg | Exit 283 (I-81) | |||
119.23 | 191.88 | US 11 (South Main Street) / SR 670 (East Reservoir Road) – Woodstock, Edinburg | Northern terminus of northern section | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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Location | Dayton |
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State Route 42 Business is a former segment of SR 42 that was converted into a business route that runs through downtown Dayton. It begins westbound at the northern terminus of the SR 42/257 overlap, and turns north onto Main Street less than a block later. One block north of there, the road is briefly joined by SR 701 at Huffman Drive, then carries that concurrency for three more blocks, only for that road to branch off to the north onto College Street (SR 290). The route continues to run along the northwest side of SR 42 until it finally terminates at a poultry farm just north of town.
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2014) |
U.S. Route 33 (US 33) is a United States Numbered Highway that runs northwest–southeast for 709 miles (1,141 km) from northern Indiana to Richmond, Virginia, passing through Ohio and West Virginia en route. Although most odd-numbered U.S. routes are north–south, US 33 is labeled east–west throughout its route, except in Indiana where it is labeled north–south. It roughly follows a historic trail used by Native Americans from Chesapeake Bay to Lake Michigan.
U.S. Route 58 is an east–west U.S. Highway that runs for 508 miles (818 km) from U.S. Route 25E just northwest of Harrogate, Tennessee, to U.S. Route 60 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Until 1996, when the Cumberland Gap Tunnel opened, US 58 ran only inside the commonwealth of Virginia. It was then extended southwest along a short piece of former US 25E, which no longer enters Virginia, to end at the new alignment in Tennessee. For most of its alignment, it closely parallels Virginia's southern border with North Carolina.
U.S. Route 522 is a spur route of US 22 in the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. The U.S. Highway travels in a north-south direction, and runs 308.59 miles (496.63 km) from US 60 near Powhatan, Virginia, to its northern terminus at US 11 and US 15 near Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. US 522 serves many small cities and towns in the Piedmont, Blue Ridge Mountains, and northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. The highway serves the Virginia communities of Goochland, Mineral, Culpeper, the town of Washington, and Front Royal and the independent city of Winchester. US 522 then follows the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians north and then east through the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, a 2-mile-wide (3.2 km) stretch of Western Maryland, and South Central Pennsylvania to its terminus in the Susquehanna Valley. The highway serves Berkeley Springs, West Virginia; Hancock, Maryland; and the Pennsylvania communities of McConnellsburg, Mount Union, Lewistown, and Middleburg.
State Route 259 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs a total of 26.80 miles (43.13 km) in two sections. The southern section, in northern Rockingham County, has a length of 21.81 miles (35.10 km) from Interstate 81 (I-81) and U.S. Route 11 at Mauzy through Broadway to the West Virginia state line into Mathias. The northern section, in western Frederick County, covers 4.99 miles (8.03 km) from the West Virginia state line north to US 50 at Gore. The two sections of SR 259 are joined by West Virginia Route 259.
State Route 6 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known for most of its length as River Road, the state highway runs 102.26 miles (164.57 km) from U.S. Route 250 in Afton east to SR 161 in Richmond. SR 6 is one of the main highways of mountainous Nelson County, where the highway runs north–south from its beginning to US 29. From Scottsville to Richmond, the state highway parallels the James River. SR 6 is a major suburban highway through southwestern Henrico County and the main street of Richmond's West End.
State Route 71 is a primary state highway in the southwest part of the U.S. state of Virginia. It runs from Gate City northeast to Lebanon, mostly through river valleys. Despite running more east–west than north–south, it is signed north–south; it parallels the similarly-oriented U.S. Route 11 and Interstate 81.
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.
State Route 80 is a primary state highway in the southwest part of the U.S. state of Virginia. It runs from the Kentucky state line at Breaks Interstate Park east to U.S. Route 11 near Meadowview. Kentucky Route 80 and Missouri's Route 80 continue the number west to Matthews, Missouri. The entire length of SR 80 is part of U.S. Bicycle Route 76.
State Route 91 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs 55.12 miles (88.71 km) from the Tennessee state line near Damascus, where the highway continues as Tennessee State Route 91, north to U.S. Route 19 Business and US 460 Business at Frog Level. SR 91 connects Damascus in southeastern Washington County with the northeastern county town Glade Spring, where the highway has junctions with US 11 and Interstate 81 (I-81). The state highway also indirectly connects Saltville in northwestern Smyth County and Tazewell, the county seat of Tazewell County. SR 91 is the only primary state highway in Virginia with an unpaved section; this gravel section is in southern Tazewell County.
State Route 61 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs 48.16 miles (77.51 km) from SR 16 in Tazewell east to U.S. Route 460 in Narrows. SR 61 passes through several narrow creek valleys as it parallels the West Virginia state line through Tazewell, Bland, and Giles counties. The only sizeable community between the highway's endpoints is Rocky Gap, where the highway meets US 52 and Interstate 77 (I-77).
State Route 40 is a primary state highway in the southern part of the U.S. state of Virginia. It runs from SR 8 at Woolwine east to SR 10 at Spring Grove, about half the width of Virginia. It is the longest state-numbered route in Virginia.
U.S. Route 33 is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from Elkhart, Indiana to Richmond, Virginia. In Virginia, the U.S. Highway runs 135.60 miles (218.23 km) from the West Virginia state line near Rawley Springs east to its eastern terminus at SR 33 in Richmond. US 33 is the primary east–west highway of Rockingham County, which lies in the Shenandoah Valley. The highway connects the independent city of Harrisonburg, the town of Elkton, and an entrance to Shenandoah National Park. East of the Blue Ridge Mountains, US 33 connects the Piedmont communities of Stanardsville, Gordonsville, and Louisa. The U.S. Highway is a major suburban and urban route in the Richmond metropolitan area. Within Richmond, US 33 runs concurrently with US 250. SR 33 continues from US 33's eastern terminus as a state-numbered extension of the U.S. Highway that connects Richmond with Virginia's Middle Peninsula.
State Route 39 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs 59.17 miles (95.22 km) from the West Virginia state line near Mountain Grove, where the highway continues as West Virginia Route 39, east to U.S. Route 11 in East Lexington. SR 39 connects Lexington with several communities formed around hot springs in Bath County. In Rockbridge County, the state highway passes through the town of Goshen and Goshen Pass, a gorge formed by the Maury River.
State Route 100 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs 53.31 miles (85.79 km) from U.S. Route 221 in Hillsville north to SR 61 in Narrows. SR 100 is one of the major highways of the New River Valley, connecting Narrows and Pearisburg in Giles County with Dublin, Pulaski, and Interstate 81 (I-81) in Pulaski County.
State Route 254 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs 25.01 miles (40.25 km) from SR 42 near Buffalo Gap east to U.S. Route 340 in Waynesboro. SR 254 provides a northerly alternate route to US 250 between Waynesboro and Staunton, where the highway provides access to the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library.
State Route 211 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs 5.63 miles (9.06 km) from SR 42 in Timberville east to Interstate 81 (I-81) and U.S. Route 211 in New Market. SR 211 is a state-numbered westward extension of US 211.
State Route 257 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs 18.04 miles (29.03 km) from SR 902 and SR 924 near Briery Branch east to Interstate 81 (I-81) near Mount Crawford. SR 257 connects I-81 and U.S. Route 11 with Bridgewater and Dayton, between which the highway runs concurrently with SR 42. The state highway also provides access to Bridgewater College and connects Dayton with the western Rockingham County communities of Briery Branch, Ottobine and Montezuma.
Interstate 81 (I-81) is an 855.02-mile-long (1,376.02 km) Interstate Highway. In the US state of Virginia, I-81 runs for 324.92 miles (522.91 km), making the portion in Virginia longer than any other state's portion of the route. It is also the longest Interstate Highway within the borders of Virginia. It stretches from the Tennessee state line near Bristol to the West Virginia state line near Winchester. It enters Virginia from Bristol, Tennessee, and leaves Virginia into Berkeley County, West Virginia. The route passes through the cities of Bristol, Roanoke, Lexington, Staunton, and Harrisonburg.
U.S. Route 250 is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from Sandusky, Ohio to Richmond, Virginia. In Virginia, the highway runs 166.74 miles (268.34 km) from the West Virginia state line near Hightown east to its eastern terminus at US 360 in Richmond. US 250 is the main east–west highway of Highland County, which is known as Virginia's Little Switzerland; the highway follows the path of the 19th century Staunton and Parkersburg Turnpike. From Staunton east to Richmond, the highway serves as the local complement to Interstate 64 (I-64), roughly following the 18th century Three Notch'd Road through Waynesboro and Charlottesville on its way through the Shenandoah Valley, its crossing of the Blue Ridge Mountains at Rockfish Gap, and the Piedmont. In the Richmond metropolitan area, US 250 is known as Broad Street, a major thoroughfare through the city's West End and downtown areas.
U.S. Route 33 (US 33) in the U.S. state of West Virginia extends 248 miles (399 km) from the Ohio River at Ravenswood to the Virginia state line atop Shenandoah Mountain west of Harrisonburg, Virginia.