Virginia State Route 5

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For the former State Route 5, see State Route 5 (Virginia 1918-1923).
State Route 5
Length: 55.18 mi[1][2][3][4] (88.80 km)
Formed: 1933
West end: US 60 in Richmond
Major
junctions:		 SR 895 near Richmond
SR 155 at Charles City
East end: SR 143 in Williamsburg
Virginia Routes
< SR 4 SR 6 >
Primary - Secondary - History - Turnpikes

State Route 5 runs between the independent cities of Richmond and Williamsburg in the U.S. state of Virginia. Between Charles City County and James City County, it crosses the Chickahominy River via the Judith Stewart Dresser Bridge, a drawbridge which replaced historic Barrett's Ferry.


Contents

[edit] Description of route

For much of its distance, SR 5 generally parallels the north bank of the James River. It passes through three of the original 8 shires created in the Colony of Virginia in 1634 by King Charles I of England. These are Henrico County, Charles City County, and James City County.

[edit] James River plantations

Some of the larger and older of the extant James River Plantations are along the route. All are non-government-owned, and houses and/or grounds are generally open daily to visitors with various admission fees applicable. From west to east, these are the Shirley Plantation, Edgewood Plantation,Berkeley Plantation, Westover Plantation, Evelynton Plantation, Belle Air Plantation, Piney Grove at Southall's Plantation, North Bend Plantation and Sherwood Forest Plantation.

[edit] Major intersections and points

listed west to east:

[edit] History

The first piece of SR 5 was added to the state highway system in 1923, running west from Charles City for 18.5 miles (29.8 km) towards Richmond,[5] and was numbered State Route 41.[6] Three more miles (5 km) were added in 1924,[7] 6.39 miles (10.28 km) were added in 1925,[8] and the remaining 3.5 miles (5.6 km), taking it to the Richmond city limits, were added in 1927.[9]

An extension to the east, heading north from Charles City to State Route 39 (now U.S. Route 60) at Providence Forge, was added in 1926.[10] However, this became State Route 413 in the 1928 renumbering, since a new alignment of SR 41, heading east from Charles City towards Williamsburg for eight miles (13 km), was added to the state highway system, as was a 4.5-mile (7.2 km) piece at the other end, heading west from State Route 510 (now State Route 31).[11] A further 3.50 miles (5.63 km) from the west and 2.80 miles (4.51 km) from the east were added in 1930 and 1931,[12] and, in 1932, the route was completed from Richmond to Williamsburg, with 3.00 miles (4.83 km) from the west and 1.70 miles (2.74 km) from the east.[13]

The road from State Route 32 (now U.S. Route 15) at Zion Crossroads east to Oilville was added to the state highway system by 1923 as State Route 321.[14] Extensiens east from Oilville were added for four miles (6 km) in 1924,[15] six miles (10 km) in 1925,[16] and 7.5 miles (12.1 km) in 1926.[17] By 1927, SR 321 became an extension of SR 41 west from Richmond, and that year the former SR 321 was extended 3.5 miles (5.6 km), the rest of the way to Richmond.[18]

SR 321/SR 41 was also extended west for 2.0 miles (3.2 km) in 1926,[19] two more miles in 1927,[20] and 5.4 miles - the rest of the way to State Route 39 (now State Route 22) at Shadwell - in 1928.[21]

In Richmond, SR 41 initially used Broad Street, a hairpin turn through Chimborazo Park, Fulton Street, Williamsburg Road, Hatcher Street, Newton Road, and New Osborne Turnpike.[22][23]

State Route 39 from Shadwell west to Monterey, now U.S. Route 250, was part of the initial 1918 state highway system (numbered State Route 9 until 1923). It initially continued west from Monterey on present US 250,[24] but by 1924 it used current State Route 84 west to West Virginia. The road west from Monterey towards West Virginia Route 56[25] (now U.S. Route 250) for 7.86 miles (12.65 km) was added to the state highway system in 1930[26] and 1932 as State Route 835;[27] the remaining mileage to the state line was added in 1933.[28]

In the 1933 renumbering, State Routes 41 and 835 both became part of a new State Route 5, as did the piece of State Route 39 from Monterey to Shadwell. By 1935,[29] the whole route west of Richmond became an extension of U.S. Route 250 into Virginia, truncating SR 5 to its present Richmond-Williamsburg route.

SR 5 was extended east along State Route 31 through Williamsburg to State Route 168 (now State Route 143) "to improve the service to travelers interchanging between Route 5 and Routes 60 and 168" in 1958.[30] SR 31 has since been truncated to the SR 5 junction.

[edit] References

  1. ^ 2005 Virginia Department of Transportation Jurisdiction Report - Daily Traffic Volume Estimates - City of RichmondPDF (201 KiB)
  2. ^ 2005 Virginia Department of Transportation Jurisdiction Report - Daily Traffic Volume Estimates - Henrico CountyPDF (213 KiB)
  3. ^ 2005 Virginia Department of Transportation Jurisdiction Report - Daily Traffic Volume Estimates - Charles City CountyPDF (72.1 KiB)
  4. ^ 2005 Virginia Department of Transportation Jurisdiction Report - Daily Traffic Volume Estimates - James City CountyPDF (360 KiB)
  5. ^ Minutes of the Tenth Meeting of the State Highway Commission Held in Richmond, Va. March 26th, 27th, and 28th, 1923PDF, page 21
  6. ^ Minutes of the Meeting of the State Highway Commission Held June 7th & 8th, 1923, at Sussex and Richmond, VirginiaPDF, page 7
  7. ^ Minutes of the Meeting of the State Highway Commission, Richmond, Va. April 10th, and 11th, 1924PDF, page 7
  8. ^ Minutes of the Meeting of the State Highway Commission Held in Richmond, Va. Feb. 25, 1925PDF, page 4
  9. ^ Minutes of the Meeting of the State Highway Commission of Virginia, Held Richmond, Virginia, March 11, 1927PDF, page 9
  10. ^ Minutes of a Special Meeting Held by the State Highway Commission at Roanoke, and Richmond, Virginia, May 5, and 7, 1926PDF, pages 19 and 21
  11. ^ Minutes of the Meeting of the State Highway Commission of Virginia, Held Richmond, Virginia, August 9th and 10th, 1928PDF, pages 28 and 31
  12. ^ Minutes of the Meeting of the State Highway Commission of Virginia Held in Lynchburg Virginia, December 18, 1930PDF, pages 10 and 14
  13. ^ Minutes of the Meeting of the State Highway Commission of Virginia, Held in Marion, Roanoke and Richmond, July 27, 28, and 29, 1932PDF, pages 18 and 20
  14. ^ Minutes of the Meeting of the State Highway Commission Held at Richmond, Virginia, December 11th and 12th, 1923PDF, page 12
  15. ^ Minutes of the Meeting of the State Highway Commission, Richmond, Va. April 10th, and 11th, 1924PDF, page 8
  16. ^ Minutes of the Meeting of the State Highway Commission Held in Richmond, Va. Feb. 25, 1925PDF, page 4
  17. ^ Minutes of a Special Meeting Held by the State Highway Commission at Roanoke, and Richmond, Virginia, May 5, and 7, 1926PDF, pages 19 and 22
  18. ^ Minutes of the Meeting of the State Highway Commission of Virginia, Held Richmond, Virginia, March 11, 1927PDF, page 9
  19. ^ Minutes of a Special Meeting Held by the State Highway Commission at Roanoke, and Richmond, Virginia, May 5, and 7, 1926PDF, pages 19 and 21
  20. ^ Minutes of the Meeting of the State Highway Commission of Virginia, Held Richmond, Virginia, March 11, 1927PDF, page 9
  21. ^ Minutes of the Meeting of the State Highway Commission of Virginia, Held Richmond, Virginia, August 9th and 10th, 1928PDF, pages 22 and 23
  22. ^ Minutes of the Meeting of the State Highway Commission of Virginia, Held in Richmond, July 19, 1932PDF, page 11
  23. ^ Map of Henrico County, 1930s
  24. ^ Minutes of the First Meeting of the State Highway Commission Created Under the Acts of 1922, Held July 5th, 1922, Richmond, Va.PDF, Proposed "State Highway System" for Virginia, as Recommended by the State Roads Committee, January, 1918
  25. ^ Minutes of the Meeting of the State Highway Commission, Richmond, Va. April 10th, and 11th, 1924PDF, page 5
  26. ^ Minutes of the Meeting of the State Highway Commission of Virginia Held in Lynchburg Virginia, December 18, 1930PDF, page 24
  27. ^ Minutes of the Meeting of the State Highway Commission of Virginia, Held in Marion, Roanoke and Richmond, July 27, 28, and 29, 1932PDF, page 26
  28. ^ Minutes of the Meeting of the State Highway Commission of Virginia, Held in Richmond, October 19, 1933PDF, page 23
  29. ^ Minutes of the Meeting of the State Highway Commission of Virginia, Held August 17, 1935PDF, "Route 250, Broad Street Road, just east of Hungary Springs Road"
  30. ^ Minutes of the Meeting of the State Highway Commission of Virginia, Held in Richmond, August 28, 1958PDF, page 64
< SR 40 Two‑digit State Routes
1923-1933		 SR 42 >
none Spurs of SR 32
1923-1928		 SR 322 >
< SR 834 District 8 State Routes
1928-1933		 SR 836 >
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