Virginia State Route 288
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| State Route 288 |
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| Length: | 31.77 mi[1][2][3] (51.13 km) | ||||||||||||
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| South end: |  I-95 near Chester |
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| Major junctions: |
 US 360 near Swift Creek Res. US 60 near Midlothian |
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| North end: |  I-64 near Short Pump |
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State Route 288 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is a freeway-standard partial beltway around the southwest side of Richmond. SR 288 was officially dedicated as the World War II Veterans Memorial Highway in 2004.
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[edit] Description of route
SR 288 may be thought of as the southwestern portion of an "outer beltway" of Richmond, although there is no such roadway formally designated . The route begins at Interstate 95 north of Chester, and extends northwesterly through Chesterfield County and Powhatan County. It crosses the James River on the World War II Veterans Memorial Bridge into Goochland County in Richmond's Far West End area, where it terminates at Interstate 64 near Short Pump, adjacent to the northern terminus of Interstate 295.
The highway has been built entirely to Interstate standards. [4]
[edit] History
Sections of the road were built over a period of more than 15 years. During that time, the planned routing of the northern portion was changed substantially, and not without some conflict within the communities.
[edit] Southern section
The 17.4-mile-long southern portion of SR 288 in Chesterfield County (from Interstate 95 to State Route 76 near Midlothian) was completed in 1989.
[edit] Revision of northern section
Initially, the highway was planned to continue north and west of this temporary terminus to connect with Interstate 64 at Interstate 295, creating a seamless straight connection between SR 288 and I-295. This would have formed a partial beltway (I-295 north of I-64 and west of I-95, and SR 288 in the southwest quadrant).[5] There is however no evidence that it was to be an Interstate.
However, this planned corridor and a river crossing into Henrico County west of Richmond was abandoned in 1988. This was due to a pecularity in the varying powers and abilitites of local governments to control growth and preserve rights-of-way resultant from the Byrd Road Act of 1932. While Henrico County had been able to preserve its corridor, there had been development of residential neighborhoods and homes along and within the intended path in Chesterfield County during the years after initial planning. Despite opposition by both Henrico County and the City of Richmond, a more westerly alignment north of VA-76 was selected. Much of the planned section in Henrico County became the John Rolfe Parkway corridor there.
[edit] Western alignment and construction
Instead, a more westerly alignment was selected through Powhatan and Goochland Counties, causing a break in what would have been a continuous loop between SR 288 and I-295 at their northern juncture. In 2004, construction of this "western alignment" as it became known was completed, including a new crossing of the James River known as the World War II Veterans Memorial Bridge.
[edit] Exit list
| Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|
| I-95 – Richmond, Petersburg |
Southbound exit and northbound entrance |
  US 1 / US 301 (Jefferson Davis Highway) |
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 SR 145 (Chester Road) – Chester |
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 SR 10 (Iron Bridge Road) – Richmond, Chesterfield |
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 SR 604 (Courthouse Road) |
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| Image:Iowa 2055.svg SR 2055 (Commonwealth Centre Parkway) | No northbound exit |
| US 360 (Hull Street Road) – Richmond, Amelia |
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 SR 76 (Powhite Parkway) / Old Hundred Road – Richmond |
|
 SR 720 (Lucks Lane) |
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| Image:Iowa 3840.svg SR 3840 (Woolridge Road) | |
| US 60 (Midlothian Turnpike) – Midlothian, Powhatan |
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 SR 711 (Huguenot Trail, Robious Road) |
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 SR 6 (Patterson Avenue) – Richmond, Goochland |
No ramp from SR 288 south to SR 6 west; use West Creek Parkway |
| Image:Iowa 1250.svg SR 1250 (West Creek Parkway) to SR 6 west – Goochland |
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 SR 740 (Tuckahoe Creek Parkway) / Capital One Drive |
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 US 250 (Broad Street) |
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 I-64 to I-295 – Richmond, Charlottesville |
Northbound exit and southbound entrance |
[edit] Notes
- The abandoned corridor planned for SR 288 in western Henrico County became the John Rolfe Parkway, a connector street, rather than a limited-access highway.
- Henrico County was able to preserve its planned corridor for Route 288 from development while Chesterfield County was not. This was partially because Henrico and Arlington County are the only two counties in Virginia which control and maintain their own secondary highways and streets. VDOT handles this for Chesterfield and all other counties, but has little control of residential development.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ 2005 Virginia Department of Transportation Jurisdiction Report - Daily Traffic Volume Estimates - Chesterfield CountyPDF (2.37 MiB)
- ^ 2005 Virginia Department of Transportation Jurisdiction Report - Daily Traffic Volume Estimates - Powhatan CountyPDF (184 KiB)
- ^ 2005 Virginia Department of Transportation Jurisdiction Report - Daily Traffic Volume Estimates - Goochland CountyPDF (166 KiB)
- ^ Route VA-288 Construction - Western Section
- ^ Virginia Department of Highways, Final Environmental/Section 4(f) Statement Administrative Action for Interstate Route 295
