Virginia State Route 76
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| State Route 76 |
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| Powhite Parkway | |||||||||||||
| Length: | 12 mi[citation needed] (19 km) | ||||||||||||
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| Formed: | 1973 | ||||||||||||
| West end: | SR 652 in Brandermill | ||||||||||||
| Major junctions: |
 SR 288 in Midlothian US 60 near Richmond SR 150 in Richmond SR 146 in Richmond |
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| East end: |  I-195 in Richmond |
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The Powhite Parkway in Richmond, Virginia is a toll road operated by the Richmond Metropolitan Authority (RMA). An extension, also tolled, is operated by the Virginia Department of Transportation; the whole route is signed as State Route 76.
The Powhite Parkway extends from a triangular interchange with the Interstate 195 Beltline Expressway and the State Route 195 Downtown Expressway, another RMA toll road.
After crossing the James River on the Powhite Parkway Bridge, the parkway offers major exits for State Route 150 Chippenham Parkway, U.S. Route 60 west of Richmond, and State Route 288 in the Midlothian area of Chesterfield County. Most traffic for U.S. Route 360 west of Richmond is accessed by SR 288. The southern terminus of Route 76 is near the Brandermill development.
An additional extension westward from the highway's current terminus to U.S. Route 360 has been proposed. If built, it would provide a direct freeway link between the city of Richmond and areas southwest, while also bypassing a heavily congested section of U.S. Route 360. It is unlikely, however, that the extension will be built in the near future.
The original portion of the Powhite Parkway was completed in 1973. The extension was opened in 1988. Both sections were financed with toll revenue bonds. In 1999, the Smart Tag electronic toll collection system was activated in Virginia, and the parkway began accepting Smart Tag by converting some of its toll collection lanes. In 2004, Smart Tag joined the E-ZPass network, but because of damage inflicted by Tropical Storm Gaston, the entire parkway wasn't converted to accept E-ZPass until 2005.
[edit] Pronunciation controversy
The Powhite Parkway is named for the nearby Powhite Creek which is likely an eponym for the Indian chief Powhatan. References to the creek by this name have been found in records more than 300 years old, and the creek probably was named by Native Americans who were in the area long before colonial settlers arrived in the 17th century. Known to have strong opinions about the proper pronunciation of this expressway and creek, native Richmonders have developed two forms for saying the name:
- PAU-hite (in the same pronunciation and emphasis as the word "powder")
- PO-white (in the same pronunciation and emphasis as the word "potion")
Though radio station traffic reporters tend to favor the former pronunciation (which is closer to the contemporary -- though not historic -- pronunciation of Powhatan), many other local Richmonders hold firmly onto the latter.
In particular, those who prefer the former pronunciation sometimes deride the other as suggestive of "white trash," as the sound resembles certain dialects' articulation of the words "poor white". (See the etymology of poboy for an analogous situation.)
The Richmond Metropolitan Authority (RMA), owner of the toll road section that falls within the City of Richmond, promotes "POW-hite" as the official pronunciation of the parkway. [1]
