Virginia State Route 419

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For the former State Route 419, see State Route 419 (Virginia 1928-1933).

State Route 419

Electric Road

Length:

10.54 mi^[1] (16.96 km)

Formed:

mid-1960s

South end:

US 220/US 220 Bus. in Roanoke

Major
junctions:

US 221 at Cave Spring

US 460 in Salem

North end:

SR 311 at Hanging Rock

Virginia Routes
< SR 415		SR 420 >
Primary - Secondary - History - Turnpikes

State Route 419, also known as Electric Road, is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. It runs from the south split of U.S. Route 220 and U.S. Route 220 Business in southern Roanoke west and north via Cave Spring and Salem to State Route 311. It is a major road through the Roanoke Valley.

[edit] Route

SR 419 begins at an intersection with State Route 311 in the Hanging Rock section of Roanoke County, just north of Salem. It begins briefly as a two lane road before expanding to four lanes for the remainder of its length. SR 419 has an interchange with Interstate 81 less than a mile from its origin. SR 419 enters the city of Salem and is a divided highway until its intersection with U.S. Route 460 a little over one mile away. The former Lakeside Amusement Park was located at this intersection until its closure in 1986.

Through the city of Salem, SR 419 has several traffic signals and a 35 mile per hour speed limit. General Electric manufactures drive systems for electrical power generation and other industrial applications in a large facility beside SR 419 in Salem. As a result, SR 419 is known as Electric Road for most of its length. The next major intersection is with U.S. Route 11. 419 then parallels the Roanoke River for a stretch. The Willow River apartments, which have been flooded many times since their construction,[1] are located here. SR 419 passes Lewis Gale Hospital after it crosses the river, just before the road exits Salem and reeenters Roanoke County.

Through southwest Roanoke County, SR 419 generally has a 45 mile per hour speed limit and had few traffic signals during its early history. The road functioned as something of a surface street western bypass around the city of Roanoke. SR 419 eventually developed into a focus of retail, commercial, and residential development as southwest Roanoke County became the most affluent suburb of Roanoke. Traffic signals have been steadily added since the 1980s, though some stretches without signals remain.

SR 419 intersects U.S. Route 221 in the Cave Spring area of Roanoke County. The main Roanoke County library is located near this intersection. SR 419 is heavily developed past the next intersection with Colonial Avenue. The SR 419 designation terminates at the interchange with U.S. Route 220; U.S. Route 220 Business (Franklin Road) continues northeast. Tanglewood Mall is located at the intersection of SR 419 and US 220.