U.S. Route 220 in Virginia

In the U.S. state of Virginia, U.S. Route 220 (US 220) is a major north-south state highway that extends from the North Carolina state line through Roanoke to the West Virginia state line. South of Roanoke, US 220 is a four-lane highway within the proposed Interstate 73 (I-73) corridor. US 220 narrows to two lanes north of Roanoke, connecting to I-64 near Clifton Forge and then paralleling the Appalachian Mountains north-northeasterly in the direction of Cumberland, Maryland.

U.S. Route 220
Route information
Maintained by VDOT
Length	185.96 mi[1] (299.27 km)
Existed	1935–present
Major junctions
South end	US 220 at North Carolina state line near Ridgeway
	US 58 near Martinsville I-581 in Roanoke US 11 / US 460 in Roanoke I-81 near Roanoke I-64 / US 60 near Clifton Forge US 250 in Monterey
North end	US 220 at West Virginia state line near Monterey
Location
Counties	Henry, Franklin, Roanoke, City of Roanoke, Botetourt, Alleghany, City of Covington, Bath, Highland
Highway system
United States Numbered Highway System List Special Divided Virginia Routes Interstate U.S. Primary Secondary Byways History HOT lanes ← US 219 → US 221

Route description

View north along US 220 in Highland County

US 220 enters Virginia just north of the community of Price, North Carolina. From the state line to Roanoke, US 220 is a four-lane mix of freeway bypasses and 55 miles per hour (89 km/h) at-grade rural highway. Some high traffic areas and non-divided stretches have speed limits of 45 miles per hour (72 km/h) or lower. In particular, the stretch through Boones Mill is not divided; the town is also well known as a speed trap.[2] This segment follows the same general alignment as the Norfolk Southern Railway's Winston-Salem District, opened in 1892 by the Roanoke and Southern Railway.[3]

US 220 meets the northern terminus of State Route 87 in Ridgeway, and soon after turns west to bypass the city of Martinsville on a freeway partially shared with US 58. Another bypass takes the highway around the town of Rocky Mount, after which US 220 crosses the Blue Ridge at Murray Gap. Soon after entering the city of Roanoke, US 220 intersects SR 419 and again becomes a freeway, this one passing just east of downtown Roanoke and becoming Interstate 581 northwest to Interstate 81.

US 220 overlaps I-81 northeast to near Daleville, where it exits to the north onto a four-lane road through Daleville and Fincastle. Near Eagle Rock, the road narrows to two lanes and begins to parallel the James River. US 220 follows the James River and its major tributary, the Jackson River, north to near Clifton Forge, where it begins to overlap Interstate 64 and US 60 west, still following the Jackson River, to Covington. Also paralleling these rivers are CSX Transportation's Alleghany Subdivision and James River Subdivision, opened in 1867 and 1881 respectively by the Virginia Central Railroad and Richmond and Alleghany Railroad.[4]

US 220 is a two-lane road for the rest of its route from Covington to West Virginia, as it travels through a series of valleys in the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians. It begins by following more of the Jackson River to near Clearwater Park, but then crosses a ridge into a different valley. This is repeated several times until Forks of Waters, where the South Branch Potomac River enters US 220's valley and parallels its final 1 mile (1.6 km) to the state line.

History

Part of the Great Wagon Road branched off near what is present day Roanoke, Virginia, and U.S. Route 220 in Virginia now follows part of this section of the Carolina Road. "The route was improved as a stage road in the early years of the republic. In 1838 it was rebuilt to serve the Pittsylvania, Franklin and Botetourt Turnpike,[5] which served to connect south central Virginia with the Valley."[6]

As a U.S. Highway, US 220 was initially part of U.S. Route 311, which split from US 11 at Roanoke and ran south to Aberdeen, North Carolina.[7] This was also part of State Route 33, one of Virginia's original state highways from 1918 (which was numbered 3 until 1923). Other than the US 60 overlap, two other segments date to 1918: part of SR 17 from Covington to Warm Springs, and part of SR 39 (originally 9) from Vanderpool to Monterey.

State Route 142
Location	Troutville - Millboro Springs
Existed	1923–1926 (became SR 17)

Otherwise the gaps were filled starting in 1922, with the legislative designation of a spur of SR 14 from Clifton Forge south to Eagle Rock, which was numbered State Route 142 in 1923. 1924 saw the beginning of the extension of SR 142 southwest to US 11 at Troutville, and it was also extended along SR 14 east to Longdale Furnace and then north to Millboro Springs. In 1926 it became part of a realignment of SR 17, with that route's former routing to Covington becoming part of new State Route 338.

State Route 395
Location	Warm Springs - West Virginia
Existed	1924–1928 (became SR 800)

State Route 12
Location	Troutville - Clifton Forge
Existed	1933–1935 (became US 220)

The first piece of State Route 395, which ended up extending from Warm Springs to West Virginia, was also created in 1924 as a spur from SR 39 at Monterey. The entire Covington-West Virginia corridor (SR 395 and part of SR 338) became State Route 800 in 1928 (along with an extension southwest from Covington), and was renumbered State Route 18 in 1933. Also in 1933, the part of SR 17 south of Clifton Forge became State Route 12.

US 220 was extended into Virginia in 1935, replacing SR 18 north of Covington, all of SR 12, and all of US 311 in Virginia. US 311 has since been re-extended into the state west of Danville.

The modern US 220 corridor was added to the state highway system as follows:

Portion	Creation	Number	Notes
North Carolina to Roanoke	1918[8]	SR 3[8] (1918-1923) → SR 33[9] (1923-1933) → US 311[10] (1926-1935)
Roanoke to Troutville	1918[8]	SR 3[8] (1918-1923) → SR 33[9] (1923-1933) → US 11[10] (1926–present)	US 11 overlap
Troutville to Eagle Rock	1924-1926[11][12][13]	SR 142 (1924-1926) → SR 17[9] (1926-1933) → SR 12[14] (1933-1935)	Troutville bypassed in 1935; former alignment renumbered SR 294
Eagle Rock to Clifton Forge	1922[15]	spur of SR 14[15] (1922-1923) → SR 142 (1923-1926) → SR 17[9] (1926-1933) → SR 12[14] (1933-1935)
Clifton Forge to Covington	1918[8]	SR 14[8] (1918-1933) → US 60[10] (1926–present)	US 60 overlap
Covington to Warm Springs	1918[8]	SR 17[8] (1918-1926) → SR 338[9] (1926-1928) → SR 800[10] (1928-1933) → SR 18[14] (1933-1935)
Warm Springs to Vanderpool	1927-1928[16][17][18][19]	SR 395 (1927-1928) → SR 800[10] (1928-1933) → SR 18[14] (1933-1935)
Vanderpool to Monterey	1918[8]	SR 9[8] (1918-1923) → SR 39[9] (1923-1933) and SR 395 (1927-1928) → SR 800[10] (1928-1933) → SR 18[14] (1933-1935)	route not finalized until 1923[20][21]
Monterey to West Virginia	1924-1926[22][23][24]	SR 395[9] (1924-1928) → SR 800[10] (1928-1933) → SR 18[14] (1933-1935)

Major intersections

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Henry	​			US 220 south – Greensboro	North Carolina state line, Future I-73
	​			US 220 Bus. north (Church Street) / SR 688 (Lee Ford Camp Road)
	Ridgeway			SR 87 south (Morehead Avenue) – Ridgeway, Eden, NC
				US 220 Bus. south (Main Street) / SR 687 (Soapstone Road)
	​			US 58 east (Greensboro Road) / US 220 Bus. north – Martinsville, Danville, Speedway	interchange; south end of freeway; south end of US 58 overlap
	​			SR 641 (Joseph Martin Highway)
	​			US 58 west / US 58 Bus. east – Stuart, Martinsville	north end of US 58 overlap
	​			SR 609 – Fieldale
	​			SR 57A west / SR 682 – Fieldale, Bassett
	​			SR 57 east – Fieldale	southbound exit and northbound entrance; south end of SR 57 overlap
	Bassett Forks			US 220 Bus. south / SR 57 west – Stanleytown, Bassett, Collinsville, Martinsville	interchange; north end of freeway; north end of SR 57 overlap
Franklin	Henry Fork			US 220 Bus. north / SR 674 – Rocky Mount	interchange; south end of freeway
	Rocky Mount			SR 40 to SR 122 – Rocky Mount, Gretna
				US 220 Bus. south – Rocky Mount	interchange; north end of freeway
	Boones Mill			SR 739 (Bethlehem Road)	former SR 120 south
Roanoke	​			Blue Ridge Parkway – Explore Park	interchange
City of Roanoke				US 220 Bus. north (Franklin Road) / SR 419 north – Salem	interchange; south end of freeway
				Wonju Street / Colonial Avenue / to Franklin Road	no access from US 220 north to Wonju Street south
				US 220 Bus. north (Franklin Road)	northbound exit and southbound entrance
				SR 24 (Elm Avenue) – Vinton	south end of I-581 overlap; I-581 exit 6
see I-581
Roanoke	​			I-81 south – Salem, Bristol	north end of I-581 overlap; south end of I-81 overlap; US 220 north follows exit 1N; US 220 south follows exit 143
	​			SR 115 – Hollins, Cloverdale, Roanoke	I-81 exit 146
Botetourt	​			I-81 north / US 11 (Lee Highway) / US 220 Alt. south (Cloverdale Road) to US 460 – Lexington, Staunton, Troutville, Cloverdale, Roanoke, Lynchburg	north end of I-81 overlap; north end of freeway; US 220 north follows exit 150B
	Daleville			SR 779 (Catawba Road) – Catawba	former SR 114 west
	Trinity			SR 670 (Trinity Road)	former SR 294 south
	​			SR 870 (James Street) to SR 43 – Eagle Rock	former SR 43Y
	Bessemer			SR 615 (Craig Creek Road)	former SR 43 north
	​			SR 43 south (Narrow Passage Road) – Eagle Rock, Buchanan
Alleghany	​			US 220 Bus. north (Verge Street)
	​			US 60 Bus. west – Clifton Forge	interchange; south end of US 60 Bus. overlap
	Cliftondale Park			I-64 east / US 60 east / SR 629 – Lexington, Douthat State Park	north end of US 60 Bus. overlap; south end of I-64 / US 60 overlap; US 220 south follows exit 27
	Selma			US 60 Bus. east / US 220 Bus. south – Clifton Forge	I-64 exit 24
	Low Moor			SR 696 – Low Moor	I-64 exit 21
	Mallow			I-64 west – White Sulphur Springs	north end of I-64 overlap; US 220 north follows exit 16A
City of Covington				SR 18 south (Carpenter Drive)
				US 60 west (South Monroe Avenue)	north end of US 60 overlap
				Hickory Street (SR 154 south)
Alleghany	​			SR 687 (Jackson River Road) – Falling Spring, Gathright Dam, Lake Moomaw	former SR 268 north
Bath	Warm Springs			SR 39 west (Mountain Valley Road) – Marlinton, WV	south end of SR 39 overlap
				SR 39 east (Mountain Valley Road) – Goshen, Lexington	north end of SR 39 overlap
Highland	Vanderpool			SR 84 west (Mill Gap Road) – Frost, WV
	Monterey			US 250 (Main Street) – Elkins, WV, Staunton
	Forks of Waters			SR 642 (Blue Grass Valley Road) – Blue Grass	former SR 284 west
	​			US 220 north – Franklin	West Virginia state line
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

See also

• Special routes of U.S. Route 220

References

1. "VDOT Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT)" (Shapefile). Virginia Department of Transportation. 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
2. The Roanoke Times, Catching Speeders Gets Easier, May 7, 2004
3. H.V. & H.W. Poor, Manual of Railroads of the United States for 1894, p. 599
4. Interstate Commerce Commission (1929), Valuation Docket No. 457: Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company et al., 24 Val. Rep., p. 451
5. Virginia. Pittsylvania, Franklin, and Botetourt Turnpike Company Records. 1838. Abstract: These records contain letters sent, field notes (1838), 3 vols., reports and lists of stockholders for the years 1838-1848, 1850, 1852-1853. OCLC: 291090337.
6. "Wilderness Road: Virginia's Heritage Migration Route." 2013. Wilderness Road Virginia. wildernessroadva.org Pages 16-17.
7. Bureau of Public Roads & American Association of State Highway Officials (November 11, 1926). United States System of Highways Adopted for Uniform Marking by the American Association of State Highway Officials (Map). 1:7,000,000. Washington, DC: U.S. Geological Survey. OCLC 32889555. Retrieved November 7, 2013 – via University of North Texas Libraries.
8. "An Act to establish "The State Highway System"". Act No. 10 of 1918.
9. Virginia State Highway Commission, Numbers and Descriptions of Routes in State Highway System, October 1, 1926
10. Virginia Department of Highways, Numbers and Descriptions of Routes in State Highway System, January 1, 1931
11. State Highway Commission of Virginia (April 10–11, 1924). Minutes of Meeting (PDF) (Report). Richmond, VA: Commonwealth of Virginia. p. 312. [Botetourt County] Eagle Rock to a point nine miles towards Fincastle [9.0 miles construction, 2​¹⁄₂% clause]
12. State Highway Commission of Virginia (February 25, 1925). Minutes of Meeting (PDF) (Report). Richmond, VA: Commonwealth of Virginia. p. 84. [Botetourt County] Extension of Route 142 via Fincastle to a point 9.5 Miles South [2.0 miles construction and 7.5 miles maintenance, 2​¹⁄₂% clause]
13. State Highway Commission of Virginia (May 5–7, 1926). Minutes of a Special Meeting Held by the State Highway Commission (PDF) (Report). Roanoke and Richmond, VA: Commonwealth of Virginia. p. 228. [Botetourt County] Ext. Route 142 to Intersect Route 33 [1.3 miles, 2​¹⁄₂% clause]
14. Virginia Department of Highways, Numbers and Descriptions of Routes in State Highway Primary System, July 1, 1933
15. "An Act to amend and re-enact an act entitled an act to establish the State highway system, approved January 31, 1918, and to establish a perpetual memorial to Robert Edward Lee". Act No. 316 of 1922.
16. State Highway Commission of Virginia (March 11, 1927). Minutes of Meeting (PDF) (Report). Richmond, VA: Commonwealth of Virginia. p. 84. [Highland County] Vanderpool to a point 3 Mi. S. tws. Warm Springs [1.56 miles, 2​¹⁄₂% clause; 1.44 miles, 2% clause]
17. State Highway Commission of Virginia (October 27, 1927). Minutes of Meeting (PDF) (Report). Richmond, VA: Commonwealth of Virginia. p. 165. Moved by Mr. Sproul, seconded by Mr. Massie, that the Commission transfer the .5 mile under the 2% Clause rejected by Clarke County, to the extension of Route 395 in Highland County towards Warm Springs, and that Highland County be notified of this transfer, giving them an estimate of what it will cost to condition same. Motion carried.
18. State Highway Commission of Virginia (August 9–10, 1928). Minutes of Meeting (PDF) (Report). Richmond, VA: Commonwealth of Virginia. p. 20. [Bath County] 800 From a point on Route 338 near Warm Springs Northeast 14.5 Miles to Highland County Line [14.50 miles, 2% clause]
19. State Highway Commission of Virginia (August 9–10, 1928). Minutes of Meeting (PDF) (Report). Richmond, VA: Commonwealth of Virginia. p. 21. [Highland County] 800 From a point on Route 395 Southwest 9.5 Miles to the Bath County Line [9.50 miles, 2% clause]
20. State Highway Commission of Virginia (August 29–30, 1923). Minutes of Meeting (PDF) (Report). Palmyra and Monterey, VA: Commonwealth of Virginia. p. 195. On the morning of the 30th, the Commission proceeded to Monterey in Highland County where a public hearing was given for the establishment of the Route between Monterey and the West Va. Line. The two routes under consideration were, one by Hightown to the top of the Mountain and the other in the direction of Frost.
21. State Highway Commission of Virginia (October 23–25, 1923). Minutes of Meeting (PDF) (Report). Lancaster, Richmond, and Courtland, VA: Commonwealth of Virginia. p. 207. Moved by Mr. Sanders, seconded by Mr. Truxtun, that the location of Route No. 39 from Monterey to the West Virginia Line be from Monterey down the valley of Jackson River to Vanderpool Gap, thence through Vanderpool Gap to the valley of the east branch of Back Creek, thence down the east branch of Back Creek to Mill Gap, thence through Mill Gap to Back Creek valley, thence down Back Creek valley to Warwick Run, thence up the valley of Warwick Run to the West Va. Line near Frost. Motion carried.
22. State Highway Commission of Virginia (April 10–11, 1924). Minutes of Meeting (PDF) (Report). Richmond, VA: Commonwealth of Virginia. p. 313. [Highland County] Monterey to a point two miles towards Franklin, West Va. [2.0 miles maintenance, 2​¹⁄₂% clause]
23. State Highway Commission of Virginia (February 25, 1925). Minutes of Meeting (PDF) (Report). Richmond, VA: Commonwealth of Virginia. p. 84. [Highland County] Extension Route 395 to a point Five Miles Northeast towards West Virginia line [5.0 miles maintenance, 2​¹⁄₂% clause]
24. State Highway Commission of Virginia (May 5–7, 1926). Minutes of a Special Meeting Held by the State Highway Commission (PDF) (Report). Roanoke and Richmond, VA: Commonwealth of Virginia. p. 226. [Highland County] Extension Route 395 to the West Virginia Line [1.0 miles, 2% clause]