Virginia State Route 78

State Route 78 (SR 78) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs 3.85 miles (6.20 km) from U.S. Route 23 Business (US 23 Business) north to SR 600 at Stonega. SR 78 connects Appalachian with several coal mining communities in western Wise County. The state highway became a primary state highway, SR 62, in the early 1940s. SR 78 received its present number in the mid-1940s when current SR 62 received its designation.

State Route 78
Route information
Maintained by VDOT
Length	3.85 mi[1] (6.20 km)
Existed	1946–present
Major junctions
South end	US 23 Bus. in Appalachia
North end	SR 600 near Stonega
Location
Counties	Wise
Highway system
Virginia Routes Interstate U.S. Primary Secondary Byways History HOT lanes ← I-77 → SR 79

Route description

View north along SR 78 north of US 23 Bus. in Appalachia

SR 78 begins at an intersection with US 23 Business (Main Street) in the town of Appalachia. The state highway heads east and immediately turns north onto the old alignment of Main Street, which parallels US 23 Business. SR 78 crosses Callahan Creek and curves northwest onto Callahan Avenue to pass under US 23 Business, which crosses over the creek, the state highway, and a Norfolk Southern Railway spur line, formerly part of the Interstate Railroad, on a sweeping bridge. SR 78 parallels the creek and rail spur out of the town of Appalachia as Stonega Road and through the hamlet of Andover, where the highway passes a rail yard. The state highway intersects several auxiliary rail spurs on its way to the hamlet of Stonega. SR 78 reaches its northern terminus at an arbitrary spot south of the clusters of houses that form Stonega. The road continues north as SR 600 to a dead end at a coal mine.[1][2]

History

All of SR 78 outside Appalachia was numbered SR 600 in the 1930s.[3] In 1942, the present length of SR 78 was transferred to the primary system[4] as State Route 62. The current State Route 62 was added in 1946 to match North Carolina Highway 62,[5] and at that time SR 62 was renumbered State Route 78.

Major intersections

The entire route is in Wise County.

Location	mi[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
Appalachia	0.00	0.00	US 23 Bus. (Main Street) – Jonesville, Norton	Southern terminus
​	3.85	6.20	SR 600 (Stonega Road) – Stonega	Northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

1. "2010 Traffic Data". Virginia Department of Transportation. 2009. Retrieved 2011-10-17.
   • Wise County and City of Norton (PDF)
2. Google (2011-10-17). "Virginia State Route 78" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2011-10-17.
3. Map of Wise County, revised July 1, 1936
4. "Minutes of the Meeting of the State Highway Commission of Virginia, held in Richmond, September 15, 1942" (PDF). (298 KiB), page 14
5. "Minutes of the Meeting of the State Highway Commission of Virginia, Held in Roanoke May 2 and Richmond May 3, 1948" (PDF). (326 KiB), page 5

External links

• Virginia Highways Project: VA 78