Wikipedia

U.S. Route 250

U.S. Route 250(US 250) is a route of theUnited States Numbered Highway System,and is a spur ofU.S. Route 50.It currently runs for 514 miles (827 km) fromRichmond, Virginia,toSandusky, Ohio.It passes through the states ofVirginia,West Virginia,andOhio.It goes through the cities ofRichmond,Charlottesville,Staunton,andWaynesboro, Virginia;andWheeling, West Virginia.West ofPruntytown, West Virginia,US 250 intersects and forms a shortoverlapwith its parentUS 50.

U.S. Route 250 marker
U.S. Route 250
Map
US 250 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route ofUS 50
Length514 mi (827 km)
Existed1928–present
Major junctions
West endUS 6inSandusky, OH
Major intersections
East endUS 360inRichmond, VA
Location
CountryUnited States
StatesOhio,West Virginia,Virginia
Highway system
←SR 249OH→SR 250
←WV 230WV→WV 251

In Virginia and Ohio, the route is signed east–west. In West Virginia, the route is signed north–south.

Route description

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Ohio

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Main article:U.S. Route 250 in Ohio
Western terminus at US 6 inSandusky, OH

In Ohio, U.S. 250 is an important cross-state corridor linking Sandusky (onLake Erie) to Bridgeport (on theOhio River). From a regional/traffic perspective, the route can roughly be divided into five sections linking major regions and routes of the state:

West Virginia

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Main article:U.S. Route 250 in West Virginia
View north along US 250 in rural northern West Virginia

U.S. 250's northern entrance into West Virginia is via theMilitary Order of the Purple Heart BridgefromBridgeport, OhioontoWheeling Island.It is briefly co-signed withU.S. Route 40.The route additionally co-signs withInterstate 70and crosses theOhio Riveron theFort Henry BridgeinWheeling, West Virginia.U.S. Route 250 then exits I-70 east of the Wheeling Tunnel and joinsWest Virginia Route 2one mile (1.6 km) later. InMoundsville, West Virginia,the route leaves WV 2 and departs towardCameron,Mannington,andFairmont.It intersects with its parent route,U.S. Route 50,two miles west ofGraftoninPruntytownand continues southward, co-signed withU.S. Route 119for 12 miles. The route moves throughPhilippi,and finally throughElkins.U.S. Route 250 intersects withU.S. Route 33andU.S. Route 219briefly in Elkins, which is the last major hub before U.S. Route 250 winds its way through theAppalachian Mountainsto theVirginiaborder.

U.S. 250 in West Virginia includes thePhilippi Covered BridgeatPhilippi,the onlycovered bridgeon theUnited States Numbered Highway System.

Philippi truck route

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View south along US 250 Truck in Philippi

U.S. Route 250 Truckfollows Blue and Gray Expressway around the south and west sides of downtownPhilippi,avoiding the covered bridge.

Virginia

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Main article:U.S. Route 250 in Virginia

US 250 runs 166.74 miles (268.34 km) from theWest Virginiastate line nearHightowneast to its eastern terminus atUS 360in Richmond. US 250 is the main east–west highway ofHighland County,which is known as Virginia's Little Switzerland; the highway follows the path of the 19th centuryStaunton and Parkersburg Turnpike.FromStauntoneast to Richmond, the U.S. Highway serves as the local complement toInterstate 64(I-64), roughly following the 18th centuryThree Notch'd RoadthroughWaynesboroandCharlottesvilleon its way through theShenandoah Valley,its crossing of theBlue Ridge MountainsatRockfish Gap,and thePiedmont.In theRichmond metropolitan area,US 250 is known asBroad Street,a major thoroughfare through the city'sWest Endanddowntownareas.

History

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Earlier roads, funding conflicts

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BetweenShort Pumpand Staunton, U.S. 250 largely follows the routing of theThree Notch'd Road(or the Three Chopt Road),[1]which had been established in theColony of Virginiabetween Richmond and the Shenandoah Valley by the 1740s.[2]Most likely, the road followed an ancientMonacantrail fromOrapax(east of Richmond) to the westernShenandoah Valley.This well-planned route required only one major river crossing, theRivannaatCharlottesville,with inns or taverns spaced about 10 miles (16 km) apart.

The route west of Staunton was built about 100 years later as atoll road,the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike. In the second quarter of the 19th century, it became a major gateway into Virginia's "Trans-Allegheny" region, which presented much greater challenges to transportation than did less rugged portions of the state. In that region, navigable waterways were unavailable and canals impractical. Wheeled vehicles in the form of wagons, and later, motor vehicles needed to pass through with passengers and freight. It became part of the main trade route for salt and other commodities in the early 19th century. As theAmerican Civil Warbroke out, the route became very important and was defended byStonewall Jackson's troops at theBattle of McDowellin 1862.

The portion of the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike west of Allegheny Mountain (almost all of it) became part of West Virginia in 1863. Virginia's pre-War debt became a major issue after the American Civil War, as millions of dollars of debt remained for infrastructure improvements, some of which were now located in the new state of West Virginia, including most of the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike. Political divisions in Virginia on this issue resulted in creation of a new major political group in the late 1870s, theReadjuster Party,a coalition ofDemocrats,Republicans,andAfrican-Americansseeking a reduction in Virginia's prewar debt by allocating an appropriate portion to the newState of West Virginia.

For several decades, Virginia and West Virginia disputed the new state's share of the Virginia government's debt. The issue was finally settled in 1915, when theUnited States Supreme Courtruled that West Virginia owed Virginia $12,393,929.50. The final installment of this sum was paid off in 1939.[3]

U.S. Highway system, numbering

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U.S. Route 250 was created in 1928 and was originally routed fromU.S. Route 50inGrafton, West Virginia,north/west toU.S. Route 20inNorwalk, Ohio.In 1932, the route was expanded north/west toSandusky, Ohio.In 1934, the route was expanded southward and eastward toRichmond, Virginia.[citation needed]

Major intersections

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Ohio
US 6inSandusky
I-80/I-90north-northwest ofMilan
US 20inNorwalk
US 42inAshland.The highways travel concurrently through Ashland.
I-71east of Ashland
US 30west-southwest ofWooster.The highways travel concurrently to southeast of Wooster.
US 62inWilmot.The highways travel concurrently through Wilmot.
I-77south-southeast ofStrasburg.The highways travel concurrently toNew Philadelphia.
US 36inUhrichsville
US 22inCadiz.The highways travel concurrently through Cadiz.
US 40inBridgeport.The highways travel concurrently toWheeling, West Virginia.
West Virginia
I-70onWheeling Island.The highways travel concurrently to Wheeling.
I-470in Wheeling
US 19inFairmont.The highways travel concurrently through Fairmont.
I-79inWhite Hall
US 50west-southwest ofPrunytown.The highways travel concurrently to Prunytown.
US 119north-northwest ofWebster.The highways travel concurrently toPhilippi.
US 33north ofNorton.The highways travel concurrently toElkins.
US 219north of Elkins. The highways travel concurrently toHuttonsville.
Virginia
US 220inMonterey
US 11inStaunton.The highways travel concurrently through Staunton.
I-81in Staunton
US 340inWaynesboro
US 340in Waynesboro. The highways travel concurrently through Waynesboro.
I-64inRockfish Gap
I-64inYancey Mills
US 29west-northwest ofCharlottesville.The highways travel concurrently to Charlottesville.
I-64east-southeast of Charlottesville
US 15inZion X-Roads
US 522inGum Spring
I-64east-southeast ofShort Pump
I-64inDumbarton
US 33inRichmond.The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 1/US 301in Richmond
I-95in Richmond
US 360in Richmond

[4]

References

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  1. ^Pawlett, Nathaniel Mason; Newlon, Jr., Howard H. (January 1976).The Route of Three Notch'd Road: A Preliminary Report(PDF)(Report). Archived fromthe original(PDF)on February 24, 2021.
  2. ^"Charlottesville Woolen Mills Chronology".historicwoolenmills.org.
  3. ^Johnson, W. S. (June 30, 1920)."Virginia-West Virginia Debt Settlement: Payment of the Virginia Debt".West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture, and History.Archived fromthe originalon January 11, 2019.
  4. ^2014 Walmart Road Atlas.Chicago:Rand McNally.2013. pp. 78–79, 106–107, 112.ISBN9780528007712.
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