U.S. Route 15(US 15) is a part of theUnited States Numbered Highway Systemthat runs fromWalterboro, South Carolina,toPainted Post, New York.InVirginia,the U.S. Highway runs 230.37 miles (370.74 km) from theNorth Carolinastate line nearClarksvillenorth to theMarylandstate line at thePotomac RivernearLucketts.US 15 is a major north–south highway through thePiedmontof Virginia, connecting Clarksville andFarmvilleinSouthsidewithCulpeper,Warrenton,andLeesburginNorthern Virginia.
 U.S. Route 15 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US 15 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained byVDOT | ||||
| Length | 230.37 mi[1](370.74 km) | |||
| Existed | 1926–present | |||
| Tourist routes |  Journey Through Hallowed Ground Byway Virginia Byway | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  US 15nearClarksville | |||
| North end | US 15nearLucketts | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Virginia | |||
| Counties | Mecklenburg,Halifax,[2]Charlotte,Prince Edward,Buckingham,Fluvanna,Louisa,Orange,Madison,Culpeper,Fauquier,Prince William,Loudoun | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Route description
editClarksville to Farmville
editUS 15 entersMecklenburg Countyat the North Carolina state line several miles south ofClarksville.The U.S. Highway continues south towardOxfordand theResearch Triangle.US 15 heads north as two-lane undivided National Highway, which parallels theVirginia Southern Railroadnorth across the Grassy Creek branch ofKerr Lake.The U.S. Highway expands to a four-lanedivided highwayin an industrial area adjacent to Marks Municipal Airport. US 15 passes through apartial cloverleaf interchangewith theUS 58bypass, then becomes an undivided highway on entering the town of Clarksville as College Street and crossing over the rail line. The U.S. Highway turns east onto Virginia Avenue, which also carriesUS 58 Business(US 58 Bus.) andState Route 49(SR 49).[1][3]
After passing through theClarksville Historic District,US 15, US 58 Bus., and SR 49 leave the town of Clarksville by crossing the John H. Kerr Reservoir, an impoundment of theRoanoke Riverthat is also known as Buggs Island Lake, on the Phillip Saint Julian Wilson Bridge and a causeway. The bridge, which contains lights underneath used for nighttime fishing, includes a brief passage through Halifax County due to thethalwegsof the Roanoke andDanrivers, which were used to set the county boundaries, converging just south of Clarksville. At the east end of the causeway, access to US 58 is provided at a four-way intersection. Ramps to US 58 west and US 58 east form the southern and eastern legs of the intersection, which mainline US 58 avoids via a pair of flyover ramps just east of its bridge over the reservoir. US 15 and SR 49 turn north, cross over the Virginia Southern rail line, and parallel the eastern shore of the lake until the two highways split at the hamlet of Dortch Store.[1][3]
US 15 heads north, crossing the Bluestone Creek arm of the reservoir and enteringCharlotte County,where the road becomes Barnesville Highway. The U.S. Highway intersectsSR 92(Jeb Stuart Highway) atBarnes JunctionandUS 360(Kings Highway) atWylliesburg.The two U.S. Highways continue north along US 360's four-lane divided highway, which intersectsSR 47(Craftons Gate Highway) at Crafton Gate. South ofKeysville,US 15 and US 360 meet the southern end ofUS 15 Bus.andUS 360 Bus.(Old Kings Highway); the sets of highways meet again at a partial interchange where the U.S. Highways also cross over the Virginia Southern Railroad. US 15 and US 360 meetSR 40(Lunenburg County Highway) at adiamond interchangejust east of the town of Keysville. The U.S. Highways pass under the rail line and diverge immediately to the north at a partial cloverleaf interchange; the divided highway continues as US 360 while US 15 exits onto two-lane undivided Farmville Highway, which meets the northern end of the business routes, which are named 4 Locust Highway.[1][3]
US 15 entersPrince Edward Countyas Farmville Road and crosses overNorfolk Southern Railway'sBlue Ridge Districtwest of the hamlet ofBriery.The U.S. Highway passes through the hamlets ofRedd ShopandWorshambefore reachingKingsville,where the highway intersectsSR 133.SR 133 heads west to the community ofHampden Sydneyand itsnamesake college.US 15 veers northeast and meets US 460 (Prince Edward Highway) at a diamond interchange. US 15 joins US 460 west on the four-lane freeway whileUS 15 Bus.heads toward the town ofFarmville,home ofLongwood University.US 15 and US 460 cross over Little Buffalo Creek, Buffalo Creek, and theHigh Bridge Trail,arail trailon what was formerly a Norfolk Southern Railway line. The U.S. Highways diverge at atrumpet interchangewest of Farmville. US 15 exits onto Sheppards Road and has a brief concurrency withUS 460 Bus.north to the northern end of US 15 Bus. (Third Street).[1][3]
Farmville to Culpeper
edit
US 15 crosses theAppomattox RiverintoBuckingham County,where the road's name changes to James Madison Highway. The highway passes to the west ofWillis Mountainbefore reachingUS 60(James Anderson Highway) atSprouses Corner.US 15 meets the southern end ofSR 20(Constitution Route) then passes through the town ofDillwynas Oak and Main streets. The U.S. Highway parallels theBuckingham Branch Railroadout of town and passes through the community ofAlpha,where the highway passes by Buffards Mountain and veers away from the railroad. After passing throughArvonia,the highway crosses theJames RiveratNew Cantonon theJohn H. Cocke Memorial Bridge.The bridge passes over the Buckingham Branch Railroad on the south side of the river just south of its bridge across the river to joinCSX Transportation'sRivanna Subdivision,which parallels the north bank of the river through the hamlet ofBremo Bluff.[1][3]
US 15 continues north through theFluvanna Countycommunities ofWeber CityandFork Union.The U.S. Highway becomes concurrent withSR 6(River Road) adjacent toFork Union Military Academy.The two highways diverge atDixie,from which US 15 passes throughCarysbrook.The highway meets the eastern end ofSR 53(Thomas Jefferson Parkway) just south of the U.S. Highway's crossing of theRivanna RiverintoPalmyra.US 15 passes throughWildwoodandHuntersbefore intersectingUS 250(Three Notch Road) atZion Crossroadsat the Fluvanna–Louisacounty line. The U.S. Highway expands to a four-lane divided highway at US 250 that continues north through itsdiverging diamond interchange(DDI) withInterstate 64(I-64). US 15 continues north along the edge ofGreen Springs National Historic Landmark Districtto its intersection withSR 22(Louisa Road) atBoswells Tavern.The U.S. Highway meetsUS 33(Spotswood Trail) just south ofGordonsville.The two highways run together north ontoOrange Countyand the town of Gordonsville, where the highways parallel CSX Transportation'sPiedmont Subdivisionalong Martinsburg Avenue. US 15 and US 33 veer onto Main Street and pass theExchange Hotelat their underpass of theWashington Subdivision,theCharlottesville–Orangerail line owned by theBuckingham Branch Railroad.US 15 leaves Main Street at the Gordonsville Roundabout; US 33 andSR 231head northwest as Main Street, SR 231 heads southwest along Gordon Avenue towardCismont,and US 15 heads northeast along Gordon Avenue, which becomes James Madison Highway at the town limit.[1][3]
North of Gordonsville, US 15 expands to a four-lane divided highway that parallels the Washington Subdivision and the eastern flank of theSouthwest Mountainsand passes Gordonsville Municipal Airport. The U.S. Highway becomes an undivided highway and passes the historic homeMayhurstat the southern limit of the town of Orange, where the highway becomes Caroline Street. US 15 meets SR 20 (Berry Hill Road) and runs concurrently with the state highway as a two-lane street under Norfolk Southern Railway'sWashington District.SR 20 continues north on Caroline Street while the US 15 veers northeast onto four-lane Madison Road, which intersectsSR 20 Bus.(Main Street) before leaving Orange as a two-lane road. US 15 crosses theRapidan RiverintoMadison Countyand meets the eastern end ofSR 230(Orange Road) atMadison Mills.The U.S. Highway passes throughFive Forks,home ofWoodberry Forest School.North ofLocust Dale,US 15 crosses theRobinson Riverand its tributary Crooked Run; at the latter stream, the U.S. Highway entersCulpeper County.The highway passes to the west ofCedar Mountainand meets the southern end ofSR 299(Madison Road) before reaching a diamond interchange withUS 29(James Monroe Highway), whereUS 15 Bus.continues north into the town ofCulpeper.[1][3]
Culpeper to Maryland
edit
US 15 and US 29 run concurrently as a four-lane divided highway around the east side of Culpeper, where the highways cross over the Washington District rail line and meetUS 522andSR 3(Germanna Highway) at a diamond interchange. US 15 and US 29 pass under the rail line and meet the northern end of US 15 Bus. andUS 29 Bus.at a partial cloverleaf interchange. The highways parallel the Washington District throughBrandy Stationand byCulpeper Regional Airportto the town ofRemington,where the road crosses theRappahannock RiverintoFauquier County.US 15 and US 29 pass to the north of the town, which is directly served byUS 15 Bus.andUS 29 Bus.(James Madison Street). Immediately north of the northern junction with the business routes, US 15 and US 29 meet the southern end ofSR 28(Catlett Road), which follows the rail line towardManassas.[1][3]
US 15 and US 29 become concurrent withUS 17,which heads southeast as Marsh Road towardFredericksburg,atOpalon their way toWarrenton.South of the town,US 15 Bus./US 17 Bus./US 29 Bus.splits northwest and their respective U.S. Highways bypass the town on a freeway to the east. US 15, US 17, and US 29 have a diamond interchange with SR 643 (Meetze Road/Lee Street) before reaching a directional interchange where US 17 diverges from the other U.S. Highways towardWinchesterand US 15 and US 29 receive their business routes. US 15 and US 29 head northeast asLee Highway,which passes throughNew Baltimoreand intersectsSR 215(Vint Hill Road) just west ofBuckland,where the highways enterPrince William CountycrossBroad Run.Just east of the county line, US 29 continues east as Lee Highway towardWashingtonwhile US 15 turns north onto two-lane James Madison Highway.[1][3]
US 15 continues north throughHaymarket,where the highway expands to a four-lane divided highway immediately south of its intersection withSR 55(John Marshall Highway). The U.S. Highway passes through a diamond interchange withI-66and runs through a suburban area betweenCatharpinto the east and theBull Run Mountainsto the west. AtWoolsey,US 15 meets the northern end ofSR 234(Sudley Road) and reduces to two lanes. North ofBull Run,where the road entersLoudoun County,the highway passes through a pair of roundabouts atGilberts Corner.US 15 meetsUS 50(John Mosby Highway) at the second roundabout. The U.S. Highway runs along the east flank of the Bull Run Mountains as it passesJames Monroe's estate ofOak Hilljust south of theLittle RiverandOatlands Historic House & Gardensin the community of Oatlands at its crossing ofGoose Creek.[1][3]
At Virts Corner east ofHogback Mountain,US 15 enters the town ofLeesburgas South King Street. AtSR 7(Leesburg Bypass),US 15 Bus.continues straight into the downtown area while US 15 joins the eastern side of the four-lane divided bypass. US 15 and SR 7 meet the western end ofSR 267(Dulles Greenway) at a trumpet interchange before the two highways diverge at a partial cloverleaf interchange withSR 7 Bus.(Harry Byrd Highway) that contains a flyover ramp for westbound SR 7. US 15 reduces to two lanes shortly before it meets the northern end of US 15 Bus. (North King Street) west ofBall's Bluff Battlefield and National Cemetery.Just north of the business route, the highway intersects SR 655 (Whites Ferry Road), which servesWhite's Ferry,the last remaining ferry crossing of the Potomac River that connects Leesburg withPoolesville, Maryland.US 15 passes by the historic homesRocklandandTemple Halland through the community ofLucketts,which is home to the historicLucketts School.North of Lucketts, the U.S. Highway veers to the west and runs along the eastern flank ofFurnace Mountain.The road meets SR 672, which provides access toLovettsville,before crossing the Potomac River on the Point of Rocks Bridge, acamelback trussbridge, into the Maryland village ofPoint of Rocks.[1][3]
History
editUS 15 generally follows the OldCarolina Road,which connectedNorth Carolina(at what was thenNorth Carolina Highway 75,or NC 75) withFrederick, Maryland,through Virginia. It was added to the state highway system in 1918 asState Route 2(SR 2) and renumberedState Route 32(SR 32) in the1923 state highway renumbering.In 1926, US 15 was designated along the whole of SR 32. The SR 32 designation was dropped in the1933 state highway renumberingand was immediately reused onanother routesouth ofPetersburg.The number was again reused onits current alignmentin the early 1940s to matchNC 32.
From June 2013 to February 2014, theVirginia Department of Transportationconverted the existing interchange between US 15 and I-64, in Zion Crossroads, to aDDI,the first in the state, with final construction completed by mid-April 2014.[4][5][6]A similar interchange between US 15 and I-66 was completed in January 2017.[7]
Major intersections
edit| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mecklenburg | | 0.00 | 0.00 |  US 15south –Oxford | North Carolinastate line | ||
| Clarksville |  US 58(SR 49) –South Boston,Boydton | interchange | |||||
| 6.08 | 9.78 |     US 58 Bus.west (Virginia Avenue) toSR 49south –Danville | south end of US 58 Bus. overlap | ||||
| 7.80 | 12.55 | US 58to US 15 south –Boydton,South Boston,South Hill,Occoneechee State Park | north end of US 58 Bus. overlap; south end of SR 49 overlap | ||||
| | 9.40 | 15.13 |  SR 49north –Chase City,Victoria | North end of concurrency with SR 49 | |||
| Charlotte | Barnes Junction | 23.62 | 38.01 |  SR 92(Jeb Stuart Highway) –Clover,Chase City | |||
| | 26.86 | 43.23 |   US 360west (Kings Highway) /SR 611west (Hebron Church Road) –Danville,South Boston | South end of concurrency with US 360 | |||
| Crafton Gate | 30.74 | 49.47 |  SR 47(Craftons Gate Highway) –Drakes Branch,Chase City | ||||
| Ontario | 37.34 | 60.09 |   US 15 Bus.north /US 360 Bus.east (Old Kings Highway) /SR 622west (Old Kings Road) –Keysville | ||||
| | US 15 Bus./US 360 Bus.–Keysville | Interchange; no southbound entrance | |||||
| | 40.70 | 65.50 |  SR 40–Keysville,Victoria | interchange | |||
| | 42.72 | 68.75 |  US 360west /SR 712south –Richmond | interchange; north end of concurrency with US 360; south end of US 360 Bus. overlap | |||
| | US 15 Bus.south /US 360 Bus.west (Four Locust Highway) –Keysville | north end of US 360 Bus. overlap | |||||
| Prince Edward | Kingsville | 56.54 | 90.99 |  SR 133south (Kingsville Road) –Hampden-Sydney | |||
| | 59.48 | 95.72 |  US 460east /US 15 Bus.north (Main Street) –Farmville,Petersburg,Longwood University,truck route toSR 45 | interchange; south end of concurrency with US 460 | |||
| | 63.66 | 102.45 | US 460west –Lynchburg | interchange; north end of concurrency with US 460; south end of concurrency with US 460 Business | |||
| | 63.80 | 102.68 |  US 15 Bus.south /US 460 Bus.east (Third Street) /SR 768(Tuggle Road) –Farmville,Center for the Visual Arts,Longwood University | North end of concurrency with US 460 Business | |||
| Buckingham | Sprouses Corner | 80.33 | 129.28 |  US 60(James Anderson Highway) –Le xing ton,Richmond | |||
| | 81.78 | 131.61 |   SR 20north (South Constitution Route) /SR 1003east (Main Street) –Scottsville,Buckingham Correctional Center,Dillwyn Correctional Center | ||||
| James River | 98.13 | 157.92 | John H. Cocke Memorial Bridge | ||||
| Fluvanna | Fork Union | 102.67 | 165.23 |  SR 6west (West River Road) –Scottsville | South end of concurrency with SR 6 | ||
| Dixie | 104.66 | 168.43 | SR 6east (East River Road) –Richmond | North end of concurrency with SR 6 | |||
| | 111.02 | 178.67 |  SR 53west (Thomas Jefferson Parkway) –Charlottesville,Ash Lawn,Monticello,Michie Tavern | ||||
| Louisa | Zion Cross Road | 119.71 | 192.65 |  US 250(Three Notch Road) –Charlottesville,Richmond | |||
| | 120.16 | 193.38 |  I-64–Charlottesville,Richmond | I-64 exit 136 (Diverging diamond interchange) | |||
| Boswells Tavern | 127.11 | 204.56 |  SR 22(Louisa Road) –Shadwell,Louisa | ||||
| | 130.72 | 210.37 |  US 33east (South Spotswood Trail) –Louisa,Richmond | South end of concurrency with US 33 | |||
| Orange | Gordonsville |  SR 1006(South High Street / truck route) | |||||
| 132.29 | 212.90 |  US 33west /SR 231(North Main Street / Gordon Avenue) –Harrisonburg,Cismont | Gordonsville Circle (traffic circle); north end of concurrency with US 33 | ||||
| Orange | 140.64 | 226.34 |  SR 20north (Berry Hill Road) –Wilderness,Orange Airport | South end of concurrency with SR 20 | |||
| 140.81 | 226.61 | SR 20south (Caroline Street) –Barboursville | North end of concurrency with SR 20 | ||||
| SR 20 Bus.(Main Street) | |||||||
| Madison | Madison Mills | 144.47 | 232.50 |  SR 230west (Orange Road) –Madison | |||
| Culpeper | | 157.24 | 253.05 |    SR 299north (Madison Road) toUS 29/SR 692 | |||
| | 158.06 | 254.37 | US 29south /US 15 Bus.north (Orange Road) –Culpeper,Charlottesville | interchange; south end of concurrency with US 29 | |||
| seeUS 29 | |||||||
| Prince William | | 192.09 | 309.14 | US 29north (Lee Highway) –Fairfax,Washington | North end of concurrency with US 29 | ||
| | 194.86 | 313.60 |  SR 55(John Marshall Highway) –Front Royal,Haymarket | ||||
| Haymarket | 195.02 | 313.85 |  I-66–Strasburg,Washington | I-66 exit 40, (Diverging diamond interchange) | |||
| Woolsey | 198.91 | 320.11 |  SR 234south (Sudley Road) / Waterfall Road (SR 601) –Manassas | ||||
| Loudoun | |  Howsers Branch Drive toUS 50 | Roundabout | ||||
| Gilberts Corner | 205.74 | 331.11 | US 50–Winchester,Washington | Roundabout | |||
| Leesburg | 216.28 | 348.07 |  SR 7west (Leesburg Bypass) /US 15 Bus.north (South King Street) –Leesburg,Winchester | interchange; south end of concurrency with SR 7 | |||
| 216.72 | 348.78 |   SR 267 Tolleast –Dulles Airport,Washington | SR 267 exit 1 | ||||
| 217.88 | 350.64 | SR 7east /SR 7 Bus.west / Fort Evans Road –Leesburg,Tysons Corner,Alexandria | interchange; north end of concurrency with SR 7 | ||||
| | 220.40 | 354.70 | US 15 Bus.south (North King Street) –Leesburg | ||||
| |   SR 655(White's Ferry Road) /SR 1170(Raspberry Drive) –Raspberry Falls,Whites Ferry | ||||||
| | 230.37 | 370.74 | US 15north (Catoctin Mountain Highway) –Frederick | Marylandstate line (Point of Rocks BridgeoverPotomac River) | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||||
See also
edit
Spurs of SR 32 between 1923 and 1928
- State Route 321,Zioneast toOilville,now part ofUS 250
- State Route 322,Sprouses Cornerwest toBuckingham,now part ofUS 60
- State Route 323,Keysvilleeast toBlackstone,now part ofSR 40
- State Route 324,Clarksvilleeast toBoydton,now part ofUS 58
- State Route 325,Leesburgwest toBerryville,now part ofSR 7
- State Route 326,short spur east toPalmyra,now part ofSR 601
- State Route 327,Bealetonsoutheast toFalmouth,now part ofUS 17
References
edit- ^abcdefghijklm"2009 Traffic Data".Virginia Department of Transportation. 2009.RetrievedAugust 22,2011.
- Mecklenburg County(PDF)
- Charlotte County(PDF)
- Prince Edward County(PDF)
- Buckingham County(PDF)
- Fluvanna County(PDF)
- Louisa County(PDF)
- Orange County(PDF)
- Madison County(PDF)
- Culpeper County(PDF)
- Fauquier County(PDF)
- Prince William County, City of Manassas, and City of Manassas Park(PDF)
- Loudoun County(PDF)
- ^"Halifax County, VA".webgis.net.RetrievedFebruary 15,2023.
- ^abcdefghijk"U.S. Route 15 in Virginia"(Map).Google Maps.RetrievedMarch 25,2011.
- ^"Under Construction: I-64 Interchange at Route 15, Zion Crossroads".Virginia Department of Transportation.Archived fromthe originalon November 27, 2013.RetrievedNovember 5,2013.
- ^"VDOT Opens new DDI"(PDF).VDOT.RetrievedMarch 11,2014.
- ^"Animation of Traffic Flows".VDOT.Archivedfrom the original on December 19, 2021.RetrievedMarch 11,2014.
- ^"I-66 and Route 15 Interchange Reconstruction".VDOT.RetrievedMay 22,2016.
External links
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