Wikipedia

U.S. Route 21

"US 21" redirects here. For the yacht model, seeUS Yachts US 21.

U.S. Route 21orU.S. Highway 21(US 21) is a north–southUnited States Numbered Highway,spanning 393 miles (632 km) fromHunting Island State Park,South Carolina,toWytheville, Virginia.The route traverses three states, South Carolina,North Carolina,and Virginia. It connects southeastern cities, includingColumbia, South Carolina,andCharlotte, North Carolina.

U.S. Route 21 marker
U.S. Route 21
Map
US 21 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained bySCDOT,NCDOT,andVDOT
Length393 mi[1](632 km)
ExistedNovember 11, 1926(1926-11-11)[2]–present
Tourist
routes
  • McTeer Bridge Scenic Byway
  • US 21 Scenic Byway
Major junctions
South endHunting Island State Park, SC
Major intersections
North endI-81/US 52inWytheville, VA
Location
CountryUnited States
StatesSouth Carolina,North Carolina,Virginia
CountiesSC:Beaufort,Hampton,Colleton,Bamberg,Orangeburg,Calhoun,Lexington,Richland,Fairfield,Chester,York
NC:Mecklenburg,Iredell,Yadkin,Surry,Wilkes,Alleghany
VA:Grayson,Wythe
Highway system
←US 20US→US 22
←SC 20SC→SC 22
←NC 20NC→NC 22
←SR 20VA→SR 22

US 21 starts at Hunting Island State Park, bypassesBeaufort, South Carolina,and then heads north acrossthe low country,parallelingInterstate 77(I-77) through urban and rural areas before entering North Carolina. In North Carolina, US 21 frequently merges with and splits from I-77. The route enters Virginia, passing through hilly terrain before ending at the intersection ofInterstate 81(I-81) /U.S. Route 52(US 52) in Wytheville.

Despite the "1" indicating that it is a major north–south highway, US 21 only travels through three states and is no longer a cross-country route, as many sections have been replaced by I-77 inOhioandWest Virginia.Historically, US 21 was longer before theInterstate Highway Systemwas established. US 21 originally ran fromCleveland, Ohio,toYemassee, South Carolina,it was later extended to Beaufort and Hunting Island State Park. Over time, its length was reduced, making it the second-shortest major north–south route afterU.S. Route 91(US 91).

US 21 serves as an alternative to the more heavily trafficked interstates in the area, particularly I-77, I-26, andInterstate 95(I-95).

Route description

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Lengths
mi km
SC 233 375
NC 125 201
VA 35 56
Total 393 632

South Carolina

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US 21 travels 233.2 miles (375.3 km) through the state. Beginning atHunting Island State Park,US 21 travels west toward Beaufort, where it widens to four lanes. The route bypasses Beaufort to the south, going throughPort Royal,Shell Point,andBurton.In the Beaufort area, US 21 passes by the entrances toParris IslandandMarine Corps Air Station Beaufort,the major Marine Corps installations in the area. North of Beaufort, US 21 continues as a four-lanedivided highwayand intersects withUS 17.The route travels in awrong-way concurrencywith US 17 south for seven miles (11 km) before turning north towardYemassee,where it becomes a rural two-lane road and intersects withUS 17 Alternate.North of Yemassee, US 21 splits off and crossesI-95at exit 42.

The two-lane route continues through rural portions of the state. US 21 goes throughSmoaksandBranchvilleand bypassesOrangeburg.North of Orangeburg, US 21 runs roughly parallel toI-26untilGastonwhere it conjoinsUS 321and becomes an urban highway. US 21 passes throughCayce,West Columbia,andColumbia.

North of Columbia, US 21 splits from US 321, reverting to a rural two-lane road parallel toI-77.InYork County,US 21 enters urban areas again, connectingRock HillandFort Mill.Near theNorth Carolinastate line, US 21 merges with I-77 nearCarowinds,then enters North Carolina.

North Carolina

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US 21 crossing the Eastern Continental Divide at Roaring Gap, North Carolina

US 21 begins as aconcurrencywithI-77inCharlotte,which it repeats three times within the state. Its first break with I-77 is along Statesville Avenue, then proceeding throughHuntersvilleandCornelius,however, because of its close proximity to I-77 andNorth Carolina Highway 115(NC 115), it has no interchange withI-485by itself. The second break with I-77 occurs atMooresville,where US 21 travels through the city and then northwest intoStatesville.After Statesville, US 21 travels northeast toHarmonyandBrooks Crossroads,before merging back with I-77 nearJonesville.However, Jonesville andElkinconnect withUS 21 Bus.through centers of both towns, as an alternate route paralleling I-77. North of Elkin, US 21 splits with I-77 for the last time and goes north toSparta,passing theBlue Ridge Parkwayafter a major, curvy section. North of Sparta, atTwin Oaks,US 221overlaps with US 21 before enteringVirginia.US 21 travels 124.5 miles (200.4 km) through the western Piedmont of North Carolina, either combined with I-77 or as a two-lane rural road; from the South Carolina state line to Elkin, travelers can easily skip a majority of US 21 via I-77.

Virginia

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View south along US 21 atState Route 805(SR 805) in Grayson County, Virginia

After a few miles crossing the state line, US 21 reaches the town ofIndependence,where it splits with US 221 and continues north. The route goes through theMount Rogers National Recreation Areabefore entering the city ofWytheville.After a short concurrency withUS 11in downtown Wytheville, it goes north and ends at the intersection ofI-81/US 52.US 21 travels 35 miles (56 km) through western Virginia, mostly as a two-lane rural mountain road.

History

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Southern terminus of US 21 at Hunting Island, South Carolina

US 21 in the pre-Interstate era was a north–south highway connecting the area aroundLake Erieand the coastal South. One of the few true north–south routes to cross the middleAppalachian Mountains,it became an important corridor for motor traffic between northeasternOhio,westernPennsylvania,(withUS 19) and westernNew Yorkwith centralNorth Carolina,central and southeasternSouth Carolina,and (by connecting with other highways) coastalGeorgiaand most ofFlorida.Many referred to the stretch of US 21 from the Great Lakes Region to Florida as "The Lakes-to-Florida Highway".

US 21 originally (in 1926) connected Cleveland, Ohio, and Yemassee, South Carolina. In 1935 it was extended to Beaufort, South Carolina, and again in 1953 to its current southern terminus at theAtlantic Coastat Hunting Island State Park, between the city of Beaufort andFripp Island.[3][unreliable source]

In theInterstate Highwayera, much of US 21 became an obvious corridor for a long-distance expressway. TheWest Virginia TurnpikebetweenCharleston, West Virginia,andPrinceton, West Virginia,was the first segment of a planned series of toll highways along or near US 21 from Cleveland toCharlotte, North Carolina.All the other toll highways were shelved in favor of freeways built with Interstate funding; these freeways and the West Virginia Turnpike becameI-77,which completely supplanted old US 21 as a long-distance through route. I-77 was later extended toColumbia, South Carolina,also within a few miles of US 21.

Between Cleveland and Charleston, all but a relatively short segment of US 21 was completely deleted in favor of I-77, the relics being as follows:

Between Charleston and its current northern terminus atWytheville, Virginia,almost all of US 21 ran concurrently with eitherUS 60,US 19,orUS 52,which remained as US 21 was deleted. The short segment of US 21 in southern West Virginia not coinciding with another U.S. Highway became an extension ofWest Virginia Route 16.

In North Carolina, US 21 originally entered the state along today'sNC 51into Pineville, then followed Old Pineville Road into Charlotte. In the mid-1930s, US 21 moved over to South Boulevard from Old Pineville Road. In 1969, US 21 was rerouted following today'sI-77alignment, the old route was replaced by an extension of US 521. From 1975–1987, US 21 moved north in segments onto I-77 to its current alignment ending at exit 16A (Sunset Road). Further north, US 21 originally followed Old Statesville Road, replaced in 1956 byNC 115.In 1966, US 21 was bypassed around Jonesville and Elkin, replaced with US 21 Bus.[4][unreliable source]

US 21 in Beaufort, South Carolina, was rerouted around the city over formerSC 280as well as a portion ofSC 802.The new routing went into effect on February 26, 2012.[5]

Browse numbered routes
←US 20AOH→SR 21

Major intersections

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StateCountyLocationmi[6][7][8]kmExitDestinationsNotes
South CarolinaBeaufortHunting Island State Park0.000.00Sea Island Parkway / Campground RoadSouthern terminus; road continues as Sea Island Parkway
Lady's Island14.5023.34


US 21 Bus.north (Sea Island Parkway west) /SC 802east (Sams Point Road)		Southern terminus of US 21 Bus.; western terminus of SC 802
Port Royal17.3527.92
SC 281north (Ribaut Road north)		Southern terminus of SC 281
19.8731.98Parris Island M.C.R.D.Interchange
21.1033.96
SC 128west (Savannah Highway) –Bluffton,Hardeeville,Hilton Head Island		Eastern terminus of SC 128
Beaufort24.2439.01SC 170(Robert Smalls Parkway) –Beaufort
Burton25.4440.94

US 21 Bus.south –Beaufort		Northern terminus of US 21 Bus.
26.8643.23
SC 116west –Laurel Bay		Eastern terminus of SC 116
Gardens Corner37.4060.19
US 17north –Charleston		Interchange; eastern end of US 17 concurrency
Pocotaligo44.0070.81



US 17 Alt.begins /US 17south toI-95–Ridgeland,Savannah		Western end of US 17 concurrency; southern end of US 17 Alt. concurrency; southern terminus of US 17 Alt.
HamptonYemassee47.7776.88

SC 68west (Connely Street) / Flowers Street south (US 17 Conn.south) toI-95–Hampton,Allendale		Eastern terminus of SC 68; northern terminus of US 17 Conn.
Colleton​49.3979.49

US 17 Alt.north (Hendersonville Highway) –Walterboro		Northern end of US 17 Alt. concurrency
​52.0483.75I-95–Florence,SavannahI-95 exit 42
​62.0099.78SC 63(Sniders Highway) –Varnville,Walterboro
Bells Crossroads68.41110.10SC 64(Bells Highway) –Ehrhardt,Walterboro
Smoaks77.10124.08SC 217(Lodge Highway) –Lodge
BambergWhetstone Crossroads83.20133.90SC 61(Edisto River Road) –Bamberg
OrangeburgBranchville88.65142.67
US 78west (Edward Street) –Bamberg		Southern end of US 78 concurrency
88.85142.99
US 78east (Dorange Road) –Charleston		Northern end of US 78 concurrency
89.26143.65
SC 210north –Bowman		Southern terminus of SC 210
Orangeburg104.16167.63

US 21 Bus.north (Rowesville Road) / Stonewall Jackson Boulevard (US 601 Trucknorth /SC 4west)		Southern end of US 601 Truck concurrency; southern terminus of US 21 Bus.; eastern terminus of SC 4
104.23167.74


US 178east (Charleston Highway east) /US 178 Bus.west (Charleston Highway west) –Charleston		Southern end of US 178 concurrency; eastern terminus of US 178 Bus.
105.55169.87US 301(Five Chop Road) –Santee,Bamberg
105.65170.03SC 33(Russel Street) –Cameron
107.50173.00

US 601(Magnolia Street) /US 601 Truckends –St. Matthews,Bamberg		Northern end ofUS 601 Truckconcurrency; northern terminus of US 601 Truck
108.59174.76
US 178west (Chestnut Street) / Columbia Road south (US 21 Conn.south) –North		Northern end of US 178 concurrency; northern terminus of US 21 Conn.; US 21 turns right off of Chestnut Street and onto Columbia Road.
Calhoun​120.48193.89SC 172–North
​120.58194.05

SC 6east toI-26		Southern end of SC 6 concurrency
​122.15196.58
SC 6north (Center Hill Road) –Swansea		Northern end of SC 6 concurrency
Lexington​127.48205.16I-26–Columbia,CharlestonI-26 exit 129
CalhounSandy Run130.23209.58
US 176east (Old State Road) –St. Matthews		Southern end of US 176 concurrency
Lexington​137.13220.69I-26–Columbia,CharlestonI-26 exit 119
​138.98223.67
US 321south –Gaston,Swansea		Southern end of US 321 concurrency
Cayce141.48227.69
I-77north –Charlotte		I-77 exit 1
141.87228.32I-26–Charleston,SpartanburgI-26 exit 115
142.97230.09
SC 2north (Frink Road)		Southern terminus of SC 2
West Columbia144.45232.47
SC 302south (Airport Boulevard) –Aiken,Columbia Airport		Northern terminus of SC 302
Cayce146.23235.33SC 2(State Street)
RichlandColumbia147.22236.93





SC 48 Truckeast (Blossom Street /US 21 Conn.east /US 76 Conn.east) toUS 76east /US 378east		Western terminus of US 21 Conn., US 76 Conn., and SC 48 Truck; US 21, US 176, and US 321 turn left off of Blossom Street and onto Huger Street.
147.86237.96US 1/US 378(Gervais Street) –South Carolina State Museum,Confederate Relic Room,EdVenture,Columbia SC Visitors Center, Convention Center,Colonial Life Arena
148.16238.44
SC 12east (Hampton Street) –Fort Jackson		One-way couplet
148.26238.60
SC 12west (Taylor Street) –Lexington
148.76239.41


I-126west /US 76west toI-20–Greenville,Spartanburg		Southern end of I-126/US 76 concurrency; Rep. T. Moffatt Burriss Sr. Interchange
149.08239.92
I-126ends		Northern end of I-126 concurrency
149.38240.40
SC 48east (Assembly Street) –Columbia Museum of Art		Western terminus of SC 48
149.46240.53
US 76east (Elmwood Avenue)		Northern end of US 76 concurrency
149.97241.35
US 176west (River Drive)		Northern end of US 176 concurrency
150.66242.46SC 16(Sunset Drive)
151.23243.38
SC 215north (Monticello Road)		Southern terminus of SC 215
152.22244.97
US 321north (Fairfield Street) –Winnsboro		Northern end of US 321 concurrency
154.76249.06I-20–Florence,AugustaI-20 exit 71
Blythewood162.17260.99I-77–Columbia,CharlotteI-77 exit 24
163.46263.06SC 555(Farrow Road) –Columbia
Fairfield​171.40275.84Coleman Highway west (US 21 Conn.north) –WinnsboroSouthern terminus of US 21 Conn.; eastern terminus of Coleman Highway
Ridgeway172.09276.95
SC 34east (Palmer Street) –Lugoff,Camden		Southern end of SC 34 concurrency
172.31277.31
SC 34west (Church Street) –Winnsboro Mills		Northern end of SC 34 concurrency
​189.11304.34SC 200–WinnsboroSouthern end of SC 200 concurrency
ChesterGreat Falls192.07309.11
SC 99north (Chester Avenue) –Richburg		Southern terminus of SC 99
193.29311.07
SC 97north –Chester		Southern end of SC 97 concurrency
193.43311.30

SC 97south /SC 200north –Lancaster		Northern end of SC 97 and SC 200 concurrencies
Fort Lawn200.93323.37SC 9(Chester Avenue) –Richburg,Lancaster
​206.23331.90SC 223(Wylies Mill Road) –Richburg
York​213.55343.68
SC 5south –Lancaster		Interchange; southern end of SC 5 concurrency; toAndrew Jackson State Park
Lesslie215.67347.09LesslieInterchange via connector road
Rock Hill217.26349.65Lesslie,Red RiverInterchange
218.02350.87I-77–Columbia,CharlotteI-77 exit 77
218.72352.00SC 5/SC 121(Main Street)Access toPiedmont Medical Center;northern end of SC 5 concurrency; southern end of SC 121 concurrency
220.20354.38
SC 122(Dave Lyle Boulevard) toI-77		Interchange
222.36357.85
SC 322west (Cherry Road west) /SC 121ends		Northern end of SC 121 concurrency; northern terminus of SC 121; eastern terminus of SC 322
222.80358.56I-77–Columbia,CharlotteI-77 exit 82
223.00358.88


SC 161north (Celanese Road) toI-77north –Charlotte,York		Southern terminus of SC 161
Fort Mill224.37361.09

US 21 Bus.north (Spratt Street) –Fort Mill		Southern terminus of US 21 Bus.
226.42364.39SC 160–Tega Cay
229.20368.86SC 460(Springfield Parkway) –Tega Cay,Fort Mill
230.35370.71

US 21 Bus.south (Old Nation Road)		Northern terminus of US 21 Bus.
231.14371.98
SC 51north (Pineville–Rock Hill Road) –Pineville		Southern terminus of SC 51 (northern segment)
231.89373.19
I-77south –Columbia		Southern end of I-77 concurrency; I-77 exit 90
232.52
0.00		374.20
0.00		South Carolina–North Carolinaline
North CarolinaMecklenburgCharlotte0.91.41AWestinghouse BoulevardExit numbers follow I-77
1.82.91BI-485–Huntersville,PinevilleFormerly exit 2 (southbound) before August 2010; I-485 exit 67
2.84.53Arrowood RoadFormerly exit 2 (northbound) before August 2010
3.76.04Nations Ford Road
4.87.75Tyvola RoadSingle-point urban interchange
6.09.76AWoodlawn Road south (Charlotte Route 4east) –Queens UniversityToPfeiffer University
6.210.06B
ToNC 49(S. Tryon Street) /Billy Graham Parkway(Charlotte Route 4west)		ToBilly Graham LibraryandCharlotte Douglas International Airport;southbound signed as NC 49 south (S. Tryon St. south) only
7.311.77
ToNC 49/ Clanton Road
8.313.48
ToNC 160/ Remount Road		Northbound exit and southbound entrance
9.014.59ANC 160(West Boulevard)Southbound exit and northbound entrance; access fromcollector-distributor lanes
9.415.19B

I-277north /US 74east (John Belk Freeway)		Access fromcollector-distributor lanes;I-277 exits 1B-C
9.515.39C


US 74west (Wilkinson Boulevard) toUS 29/NC 27		US 29 and NC 27 signed northbound only; access fromcollector-distributor lanes;US 74 exits 1B-C
9.915.910AUS 29/NC 27(Morehead Street)Southbound exit and northbound entrance
10.416.710Trade Street / Fifth StreetSigned southbound as exits 10B (Trade Street east) and 10C (Fifth Street/Trade Street west)
11.017.711A

I-277south /NC 16south (Brookshire Freeway east) –Downtown Charlotte		I-277 exits 5A-B
11.218.011B
NC 16north (Brookshire Freeway west)		Left exit northbound; NC 16 exits 5A-B
—
I-77 north (Express lanes)		Southern terminus of HOV3+/toll lanes
—
I-277south		Express lanes only, southbound exit and northbound entrance
12.420.012Lasalle Street / Atando Avenue
13.321.413I-85–Greensboro,SpartanburgSigned as exits 13A (north) and 13B (south);hybrid interchange;I-85 exit 38
—
I-85north		Express lanes only; northbound exit and southbound entrance
15.825.4
I-77north –Statesville		Northern end of I-77 concurrency; I-77 exit 16
16.326.2
NC 115north (Old Statesville Road)		Southern terminus of NC 115
18.930.4NC 24(W.T. Harris Boulevard)ToNorthlake Mall
Huntersville
Alexandriana Road toI-485
25.741.4NC 73(Sam Furr Road) –Concord
Cornelius28.846.3
I-77south –Charlotte		Southern end of I-77 concurrency; I-77 exit 28
Davidson30.248.630Griffith Street –DavidsonExit numbers follow I-77
Lake NormanLake Norman Causeway
IredellMooresville32.151.731Langtree Road
33.754.2
I-77north –Statesville		Northern end of I-77 concurrency; I-77 exit 33
36.458.6NC 150(Plaza Drive)Interchange
39.162.9
NC 115south (Statesville Highway)		Southern end of NC 115 concurrency
​43.369.7I-77–Charlotte,StatesvilleI-77 exit 42
Statesville51.282.4US 70(Garner Bagnal Boulevard) –Conover,Salisbury
51.983.5

US 64west (Front Street) /NC 115north (Center Street)		Northern end of NC 115 concurrency; southern end of US 64 concurrency
52.384.2
NC 90west (Water Street)		Eastern terminus of NC 90
53.285.6
US 64east (Davie Avenue) –Mocksville		Northern end of US 64 concurrency
54.187.1I-40–Hickory,Winston-SalemI-40 exit 151
​57.292.1I-77–Statesville,ElkinI-77 exit 54
Harmony66.9107.7NC 901(Memorial Highway) –Union Grove
YadkinBrooks Crossroads79.2127.5US 421–Wilkesboro,Yadkinville,Winston-Salem
​85.4137.4


I-77south /US 21 Bus.north –Statesville,Jonesville		Southern end of I-77 concurrency; I-77 exit 79; southern terminus of US 21 Bus.
Jonesville88.5142.482NC 67–Jonesville,Boonville,ElkinExit number follows I-77
Yadkin RiverSgt. Gregory Keith Martin Memorial Bridges
SurryElkin90.3145.3
I-77north –Wytheville		Northern end of I-77 concurrency; southbound exit and northbound entrance; I-77 exit 83
91.3146.9


NC 268 Byp.toI-77north –Elkin		Interchange; toElkin Municipal Airport;I-77 exit 85
92.8149.3

US 21 Bus.south –Elkin		Northern terminus of US 21 Bus.
Wilkes
 No major junctions
Alleghany​111.2179.0Blue Ridge ParkwayInterchange via connector roads
Sparta118.2190.2NC 18(Whitehead Street) –Laurel Springs
Twin Oaks121.1194.9
US 221south –Jefferson		Southern end of US 221 concurrency
124.3
0.00		200.0
0.00		North Carolina–Virginialine
VirginiaGraysonIndependence3.866.21
US 221north /US 58(Main Street) –Mouth of Wilson,Galax		Northern end of US 221 concurrency
Elk Creek14.7723.77SR 658(Comers Rock Road) –Comers Rock
​15.6725.22
SR 805(Spring Valley Road) toSR 94–Fries
WytheSpeedwell21.2634.21SR 619(Saint Peters Road) /SR 749(Cedar Springs Road) –Cedar Springs,Rural Retreat
​26.0341.89SR 690(Crockett Road, Cripple Creek Road) –Crockett,Cripple Creek
​31.1350.10SR 696(Barrett Mill Road) –Big Survey Wildlife Management Area
Wytheville33.6354.12
US 11south (Lee Highway)		Southern end of US 11 concurrency
33.9454.62
US 11north (Main Street)		Northern end of US 11 concurrency
34.9956.31
I-81/US 52toI-77–Bristol,Roanoke		Northern terminus; I-81 exit 70; road continues west as US 52 (4th Street north)
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Special routes and auxiliary routes

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Main article:Special routes of U.S. Route 21

There are currently four business loops, four connectors, and one truck route along its route.

Auxiliary routes of US 21:

See also

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References

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  1. ^Total length is calculated from route mileages provided by each state DOT.
  2. ^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:United States Geological Survey.OCLC32889555.RetrievedMay 24,2024– viaWikimedia Commons.
  3. ^Sanderson, Dale (July 4, 2009)."End of US Highway 21".US Ends.Self-published.Archivedfrom the original on December 22, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 2,2011.
  4. ^Mapmikey; Prince, Adam (August 28, 2009)."US 21".NCRoads.com Annex: More Highways of North Carolina.Self-published. Archived fromthe originalon June 16, 2011.RetrievedFebruary 2,2011.
  5. ^"Federal highway rerouted through Beaufort area".Post and Courier.Associated Press.RetrievedMarch 17,2023.
  6. ^"Highway Logmile Report".South Carolina Department of Transportation.May 4, 2021.Archivedfrom the original on May 13, 2021.RetrievedMay 4,2021.
  7. ^"Overview map of US 21 in NC"(Map).Google Maps.RetrievedFebruary 1,2011.
  8. ^"2019 Traffic Data".Virginia Department of Transportation.2019.Archivedfrom the original on May 5, 2021.RetrievedMay 5,2021.
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