| State Route 642 | |
|---|---|
| Route information | |
| Length: | 8.88 mi[1] (14.29 km) |
| Existed: | by 1934 – present |
| Major junctions | |
| West end: | dead end at the Powell River |
| US 421 at Woodway | |
| East end: | US 58 Alt. near Dryden |
| Highway system | |
State Route 642 is a secondary state highway in Lee County, Virginia, running east from the Powell River via Woodway to U.S. Route 58 Alternate near Dryden.
The part of SR 642 east of SR 785 (old US 421) at Woodway was part of State Route 11 from the creation of the state highway system in 1918 until 1933. In the 1933 renumbering, SR 11 was renumbered State Route 64, and in the 1940 renumbering it became State Route 70. However, the 1940 renumbering also included a relocation of SR 70 away from Woodway and onto former State Route 66 through Dryden (along current U.S. Route 58 Alternate), and the former SR 64 east from Woodway became State Route 65.[2] In 1943, SR 65 was transferred to the secondary system, as most traffic was now using the newer SR 70; annual average daily traffic had decreased from 484 in 1941 to 125 in 1943.[3] (AADT on that part of SR 642 is now 660.[1]) The former SR 65 became an extension of SR 642.
West of Woodway, SR 642 was part of the initial system of secondary routes in the 1930s, however, it continued west across the Powell River and along what is now part of SR 640, all of SR 783, and all of SR 614 to end at SR 654 southwest of Jonesville.[4]