U.S. Route 1 in Virginia
Encyclopedia
U.S. Route 1
in the U.S. state
of Virginia
runs north–south through South Hill, Petersburg, Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Alexandria on its way from North Carolina
to the 14th Street Bridge into the District of Columbia. It is completely paralleled by Interstate Highways in Virginia – Interstate 85 south of Petersburg, Interstate 95 north to Alexandria, and Interstate 395 into the District – and now serves mainly local traffic. At its north end, on the approach to the 14th Street Bridge, US 1 is concurrent with I-395; the rest of US 1 is on surface roads.
state line to Petersburg
, US 1 parallels Interstate 85 and is partly known as Boydton Plank Road. From Petersburg northward, US 1 parallels Interstate 95
and is known in most places as the Jefferson Davis Highway
. In Richmond
, Route 1 changes from Jefferson Davis Highway to Cowardin Avenue to Belvedere Street to Chamberlayne Avenue and finally Brook Road. There is a portion of Route 1 that changes names to Richmond Highway north of Woodbridge
and ending at the Capital Beltway
at Alexandria
, becoming Henry/Patrick streets, then changing back to Jefferson Davis Highway in the Del Ray section of Alexandria and continuing with that name alongside the high-rise Crystal City
office complex in Arlington
. In the city of Fredericksburg
, between Richmond and the District of Columbia, it borders the northwestern edge of the University of Mary Washington
campus. Just before entering the District of Columbia, it runs along the Southwest Freeway at the 14th Street Bridge.
What is now US 1 was added to the state highway system in 1918 as State Route 1, following the older Jefferson Davis Highway
, which approximated at its northern end the route of the former Washington and Alexandria Turnpike. The road was renumbered State Route 31 in the 1923 renumbering, and US 1 was applied to its whole length in 1926. SR 31 was dropped in the 1933 renumbering, and was immediately reused on its current alignment.
Prior to ca. 1924, SR 1/31 crossed the North Carolina
state line with State Route 2/State Route 32 south of Clarksville on present U.S. Route 15. On the North Carolina side, it was North Carolina Highway 75. From Clarksville it ran east on present U.S. Route 58 to near South Hill. The route continued east from South Hill to Edgerton
on present US 58 and north to near McKenney
on present State Route 712 until about the same time. This alignment was defined as the Jefferson Davis Highway
on March 17, 1922.
By 1925, SR 31 was moved to the current alignment of US 1 south of McKenney (previously State Route 122 south of South Hill and State Route 314 north of South Hill), but the Jefferson Davis Highway did not follow. This took SR 31 to the border at what was then North Carolina Highway 50. The old alignment remained State Route 32 south of Clarksville and State Route 12 from Boydton to Edgerton, and became State Route 201 from Clarksville to Boydton and a new State Route 122 from Edgerton to near McKenney.
The preliminary plan for United States Numbered Highways
was drawn up in 1925, and all of SR 31 was assigned US 1. The former SR 31 west and south from near South Hill into North Carolina became U.S. Route 401. In late 1926, the final plan was adopted, and all of US 401 was renumbered to U.S. Route 15
. However, by April 1927, US 15 had been extended north from Clarksville, and the short piece from Clarksville to near South Hill was again U.S. Route 401.
In 1975, the interchange between I-395 and U.S. 1 was rebuilt, and originally there were plans to upgrade US 1 to Interstate 595 southward to the connector road with Reagan National Airport. However, the upgrade as proposed was never built. Instead, US 1 is elevated with a diamond interchange
over 15th Street South, but is a surface road with signaled intersections at 20th Street South and further south.
Spurs of State Route 31 between 1923 and 1928
U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south U.S. Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs 2,377 miles from Fort Kent, Maine at the Canadian border south to Key West, Florida. U.S. 1 generally parallels Interstate 95, though it is significantly farther west between...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
runs north–south through South Hill, Petersburg, Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Alexandria on its way from North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
to the 14th Street Bridge into the District of Columbia. It is completely paralleled by Interstate Highways in Virginia – Interstate 85 south of Petersburg, Interstate 95 north to Alexandria, and Interstate 395 into the District – and now serves mainly local traffic. At its north end, on the approach to the 14th Street Bridge, US 1 is concurrent with I-395; the rest of US 1 is on surface roads.
Route description
From the North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
state line to Petersburg
Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and south of the state capital city of Richmond. The city's population was 32,420 as of 2010, predominantly of African-American ethnicity...
, US 1 parallels Interstate 85 and is partly known as Boydton Plank Road. From Petersburg northward, US 1 parallels Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in Virginia
In the Commonwealth of Virginia, Interstate 95 runs through the state. It runs concurrently for with Interstate 64 in Richmond, and meets the northern terminus of Interstate 85 in Petersburg. Though Interstate 95 was originally planned to go straight through Washington, D.C., it was instead...
and is known in most places as the Jefferson Davis Highway
Jefferson Davis Highway
The Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway was a planned transcontinental highway in the United States in the 1910s and 1920s that began in Washington, D.C. and extended south and west to San Diego, California; it was named for Jefferson Davis, who, in addition to being the first and only President of...
. In Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, Route 1 changes from Jefferson Davis Highway to Cowardin Avenue to Belvedere Street to Chamberlayne Avenue and finally Brook Road. There is a portion of Route 1 that changes names to Richmond Highway north of Woodbridge
Woodbridge, Virginia
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 31,941 people, 10,687 households, and 7,769 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3,047.8 people per square mile . There were 11,026 housing units at an average density of 1,052.1/sq mi...
and ending at the Capital Beltway
Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway)
Interstate 495 is a Interstate Highway that surrounds the United States' capital of Washington, D.C., and its inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. I-495 is widely known as the Capital Beltway or simply the Beltway, especially when the context of Washington, D.C., is clear...
at Alexandria
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
, becoming Henry/Patrick streets, then changing back to Jefferson Davis Highway in the Del Ray section of Alexandria and continuing with that name alongside the high-rise Crystal City
Crystal City, Virginia
Crystal City is an urban neighborhood in the southeastern corner of Arlington County, Virginia, south of downtown Washington, D.C.. Its residents can live, shop, and work without going outside, due to its extensive integration of office buildings and residential high-rise buildings using...
office complex in Arlington
Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The land that became Arlington was originally donated by Virginia to the United States government to form part of the new federal capital district. On February 27, 1801, the United States Congress organized the area as a subdivision of...
. In the city of Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...
, between Richmond and the District of Columbia, it borders the northwestern edge of the University of Mary Washington
University of Mary Washington
The University of Mary Washington is a public, coeducational liberal arts college located in the city of Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA. Founded in 1908 by the Commonwealth of Virginia as a normal school, during much of the twentieth century it was part of the University of Virginia, until...
campus. Just before entering the District of Columbia, it runs along the Southwest Freeway at the 14th Street Bridge.
History
Jefferson Davis Highway
The Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway was a planned transcontinental highway in the United States in the 1910s and 1920s that began in Washington, D.C. and extended south and west to San Diego, California; it was named for Jefferson Davis, who, in addition to being the first and only President of...
, which approximated at its northern end the route of the former Washington and Alexandria Turnpike. The road was renumbered State Route 31 in the 1923 renumbering, and US 1 was applied to its whole length in 1926. SR 31 was dropped in the 1933 renumbering, and was immediately reused on its current alignment.
Prior to ca. 1924, SR 1/31 crossed the North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
state line with State Route 2/State Route 32 south of Clarksville on present U.S. Route 15. On the North Carolina side, it was North Carolina Highway 75. From Clarksville it ran east on present U.S. Route 58 to near South Hill. The route continued east from South Hill to Edgerton
Edgerton, Virginia
Edgerton is an unincorporated community located in Brunswick County, in the U.S. state of Virginia.-Reference:...
on present US 58 and north to near McKenney
McKenney, Virginia
McKenney is a small southern historic town in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, United States. The population was 483 at the 2010 census.-Geography:McKenney is located at ....
on present State Route 712 until about the same time. This alignment was defined as the Jefferson Davis Highway
Jefferson Davis Highway
The Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway was a planned transcontinental highway in the United States in the 1910s and 1920s that began in Washington, D.C. and extended south and west to San Diego, California; it was named for Jefferson Davis, who, in addition to being the first and only President of...
on March 17, 1922.
By 1925, SR 31 was moved to the current alignment of US 1 south of McKenney (previously State Route 122 south of South Hill and State Route 314 north of South Hill), but the Jefferson Davis Highway did not follow. This took SR 31 to the border at what was then North Carolina Highway 50. The old alignment remained State Route 32 south of Clarksville and State Route 12 from Boydton to Edgerton, and became State Route 201 from Clarksville to Boydton and a new State Route 122 from Edgerton to near McKenney.
The preliminary plan for United States Numbered Highways
United States Numbered Highways
The system of United States Numbered Highways is an integrated system of roads and highways in the United States numbered within a nationwide grid...
was drawn up in 1925, and all of SR 31 was assigned US 1. The former SR 31 west and south from near South Hill into North Carolina became U.S. Route 401. In late 1926, the final plan was adopted, and all of US 401 was renumbered to U.S. Route 15
U.S. Route 15
U.S. Route 15 is a -long United States highway, designated along South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York. The route is signed north–south, from U.S. Route 17 Alternate in Walterboro, South Carolina to Interstate 86 and NY 17 in Painted Post, New York.US...
. However, by April 1927, US 15 had been extended north from Clarksville, and the short piece from Clarksville to near South Hill was again U.S. Route 401.
In 1975, the interchange between I-395 and U.S. 1 was rebuilt, and originally there were plans to upgrade US 1 to Interstate 595 southward to the connector road with Reagan National Airport. However, the upgrade as proposed was never built. Instead, US 1 is elevated with a diamond interchange
Diamond interchange
A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a freeway crosses a minor road. The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge...
over 15th Street South, but is a surface road with signaled intersections at 20th Street South and further south.
See also
Spurs of US 1 in Virginia- U.S. Route 301
- The 1925 plan for U.S. Route 301 became part of U.S. Route 17 in 1926.
- U.S. Route 401 (now part of U.S. Route 58)
- The 1925 plan for U.S. Route 401 became part of U.S. Route 15 in 1926.
- U.S. Route 501
Spurs of State Route 31 between 1923 and 1928
- State Route 311, Ashland east and north to CorbinCorbin, VirginiaCorbin is an unincorporated community in Caroline County, in the U.S. state of Virginia....
, now State Route 54 and State Route 2- State Route 3111, short spur from SR 311 east to Hanover
- State Route 312, Gum Tree west, north and northeast to Four Mile ForkFour Mile Fork, VirginiaFour Mile Fork is an unincorporated community in Spotsylvania County, Virginia south of the city limits of Fredericksburg. Its name derives from the junction of Virginia Route 208, U.S. Route 1, and U.S...
, now State Route 738 and part of State Route 208 - State Route 313, Chimney Corner west to Chesterfield, now State Route 145
- State Route 314, South Hill northeast towards McKenneyMcKenney, VirginiaMcKenney is a small southern historic town in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, United States. The population was 483 at the 2010 census.-Geography:McKenney is located at ....
, now U.S. Route 1; later a short spur south to Mt. Vernon, now part of State Route 235 - State Route 315, Woodbridge north to Occoquan, now State Route 906
- State Route 316, Chester east towards Hopewell, now part of State Route 10