Williamson Road

Last updated October 06, 2024

Williamson Road is an approximately 8.0 mi (12.9 km) long road in Roanoke City and Roanoke County, Virginia. The road runs from downtown Roanoke in the south through the Botetourt County line in the north. For the majority of its length Williamson Road carries U.S. Route 11. The road was named after the former Williamson farm through which a portion of the road was constructed after Virginia obtained the land through eminent domain.^[1]

Route

Williamson Road begins in the south at an interchange with Jefferson Street near the boundary of downtown Roanoke with the Old Southwest neighborhood. For the next couple of blocks, Williamson Road passes through an area consisting largely of parking garages for downtown Roanoke. The road enters the business district of downtown Roanoke at its intersection with Elm Avenue (State Route 24), which is also the location of the former Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital. For the next several blocks, Williamson Road generally marks the eastern edge of commercial development in downtown Roanoke. Williamson Road also picks up the US 11 and, briefly, the U.S. Route 221 designations in downtown. After crossing Norfolk Southern's railyard on the Hunter Viaduct, Williamson Road passes the Hotel Roanoke before an interchange with Interstate 581. The Roanoke Civic Center is located just beyond I-581 at the intersection of Williamson Road and Orange Avenue, which carries U.S. Route 460 and also picks up US 221 here. The 460-221 concurrency continues through Bedford, Virginia.

The approximately three mile segment of Williamson Road between Orange Avenue and Hershberger Road (State Route 101) developed into Roanoke's first major automobile centered commercial strip during the middle of the 20th century. Retail establishments such as Sears, restaurants, motels, and car dealerships were mainstays of Williamson Road. Cruising Williamson Road became a favored Saturday night activity for Roanoke's teenagers. The road still maintains some remnants of this history though most major retail has left for malls with largely small, locally owned businesses remaining. Magic City Ford, a dealership located across from the Roanoke Civic Center and on the corner of Orange Avenue and Williamson Road is one of only two large dealerships on Williamson Road. The other dealership being Berglund, originally a Chevrolet dealership that now sells several other makes, which maintains its original location near Orange Avenue. Other new dealerships have left for larger spaces, though there are still some used car dealers. Williamson Road still has many restaurants with both fast food and sit down establishments. The area has also seen the establishment of businesses catering to Roanoke's growing number of Latino and Asian immigrants.^[2]

History

In the early 1980s, Williamson Road was home to massage parlors, which were frequently raided by police as suspected brothels, until neighborhood pressure and police action led to their closure. However, an adult bookstore remains open.^[3]

In addition to businesses, Williamson Road has churches, schools, and a library. A business association has promoted a number of projects to improve the appearance of sections of the road. The ultimate goal is to develop Williamson Road and the surrounding neighborhoods into an urban village akin to the Grandin Village area of southwest Roanoke.

Williamson Road maintains largely the same character after its intersection with Hershberger Road. The best known business on this stretch is Happy's Flea Market which opened in the 1970s but is now closed. Happy's featured a large indoor building, formerly a department store, with rented stalls and an outdoor area which had vendors every Saturday and Sunday. Williamson Road crosses into Roanoke County shortly after Happy's. Peters Creek Road (State Route 117) terminates at its intersection with Williamson Road. Plantation Road (State Route 115) provides access to Interstate 81 and several industries, most notably ITT. The gateway to Hollins University connects to Williamson Road near its northern terminus at the Botetourt County line.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 581</span> Highway in Virginia

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Valley Metro, the operational name for the Greater Roanoke Transit Company, is a local government-owned urban-suburban bus line based in Roanoke, Virginia with First Transit providing the general and assistant general managers. The staff is employed by Southwest Virginia Transit Management Company, a First Transit subsidiary. Valley Metro serves the independent cities of Roanoke and Salem, the town of Vinton, and limited unincorporated portions of Roanoke County. Valley Metro has a fleet of 42 buses and 7 paratransit vehicles, and many lines originate and/or terminate at Campbell Court, a central bus station in downtown Roanoke which is also served by Greyhound. In FY 2023 the system got around 3,600 boardings per day according to the DRPT.

U.S. Route 11 (US 11) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway in western Virginia. At 339 miles (546 km), it is the second longest numbered route and longest primarily north–south route in the state. It enters the state from Tennessee as the divided routes US 11E and US 11W at Bristol, roughly follows the West Virginia border through the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah Valley, and enters the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia from Frederick County. Most of the route closely parallels I-81. From south to north, US 11 serves the cities and towns of Bristol, Abingdon, Wytheville, Pulaski, Radford, Christiansburg, Roanoke, Lexington, Staunton, Harrisonburg, Strasburg, and Winchester. As one of the original U.S. Highways, it was first designated through Virginia in 1926 and has largely followed the same route since. Prior to the construction of the Interstate Highway System, it was the primary long-distance route for traversing the western part of the state. Much of it roughly follows the Great Wagon Road, a colonial-era road that followed the Appalachian Mountains from Georgia to Pennsylvania.

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.

State Route 101 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known as Hershberger Road, the state highway runs 3.17 miles (5.10 km) from SR 117 east to U.S. Route 11 within Roanoke. SR 101 is a major east–west arterial on the north side of Roanoke, where it connects Interstate 581 (I-581) and US 220 with Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport.

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State Route 43 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway consists of two disjoint segments that have a total length of 61.20 miles (98.49 km). The southern portion of the state highway runs 39.79 miles (64.04 km) from U.S. Route 29 Business in Altavista north to the Blue Ridge Parkway at Peaks of Otter. The northern segment has a length of 21.41 miles (34.46 km) between the Blue Ridge Parkway near Buchanan and US 220 in Eagle Rock. The two sections of SR 43 are connected by 4.9 miles (7.9 km) of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The southern portion of the state highway connects Altavista with Bedford and Peaks of Otter. The northern section of SR 43 follows the James River through a narrow valley between Buchanan and Eagle Rock.

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State Route 115 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known for most of its length as Plantation Road, the state highway runs 6.00 miles (9.66 km) from U.S. Route 221, US 460, and US 220 Alternate in Roanoke north to Interstate 81 (I-81) and US 220 near Hollins.

State Route 116 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs 20.66 miles (33.25 km) from SR 122 at Burnt Chimney north to SR 101 in Roanoke. SR 116 connects northwestern Franklin County with the southeastern part of Roanoke. The state highway forms a major street through Downtown Roanoke and the city's north side.

State Route 118 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known as Airport Road, the state highway runs 1.84 miles (2.96 km) from U.S. Route 11 in Roanoke north to SR 117 in Hollins. SR 118 provides supplemental access to Roanoke Regional Airport, whose primary access road is Aviation Drive, which is more directly connected with SR 101, Interstate 581, and US 220.

Gainsboro is a Roanoke, Virginia neighborhood located in central Roanoke immediately north of Downtown, across the Norfolk Southern Railway right of way, between Interstate 581 and Orange Avenue. It borders the neighborhoods of Harrison and Gilmer on the west, Washington Park on the north, Williamson Road on the east and Downtown Roanoke on the south. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, Gainsboro has a population of 967 residents.

Washington Park is a neighborhood located in central Roanoke, Virginia, that initially developed in the 1920s as an early Roanoke suburb. It borders the neighborhoods of Roundhill on the north and Williamson Road on the north and east, Gainsboro and Harrison on the south, and Melrose-Rugby on the west. Its northern and eastern boundary is concurrent with Interstate 581, and its southern boundary is concurrent with U.S. Route 460. As of the 2000 census, Harrison had a population of 1,254 residents, with 531 households.

Williamson Road is a Roanoke, Virginia neighborhood in north-central Roanoke. It borders the neighborhoods of Roundhill and Preston Park to the north, Belmont to the south, Hollins to the east, and Gainsboro and Washington Park to the west opposite Interstate 581. It is bisected by Williamson Road.

Downtown is the central business district of Roanoke, Virginia, United States. Developed after the completion of the Shenandoah Valley Railroad in 1882, the Downtown core forms the geographic center of the city and the center of business for the Roanoke Valley and Southwest Virginia, the Roanoke City Market, the Roanoke Downtown Historic District and many other attractions and amenities.

Several special routes of U.S. Route 220 exist. In order from south to north they are as follows.

References

↑ What's in a street name, By RALPH BERRIER Jr. THE ROANOKE TIMES, 8/1/99
↑ Marcy, Jessica. "Fruits of her labor". Roanoke.com. Retrieved 2013-02-19.
↑ "Magic City Video (Results 1 - 1 of 1) ~ Magic City Video Roanoke VA ~ Simple Search ~ Superpages.com: Yellow Pages". Yellowpages.superpages.com. Retrieved 2013-02-19.

External links

Williamson Road Area Business Association

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[1] What's in a street name, By RALPH BERRIER Jr. THE ROANOKE TIMES, 8/1/99

[2] Marcy, Jessica. "Fruits of her labor". Roanoke.com. Retrieved 2013-02-19.

[3] "Magic City Video (Results 1 - 1 of 1) ~ Magic City Video Roanoke VA ~ Simple Search ~ Superpages.com: Yellow Pages". Yellowpages.superpages.com. Retrieved 2013-02-19.

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