Virginia State Route 249
Encyclopedia
State Route 249 is a primary state highway
in the eastern part of the U.S. state
of Virginia
. It is an old alignment of State Route 33 in New Kent County, running between Bottoms Bridge
and Angel View Church via Talleysville and New Kent
. At its west end, SR 33 overlaps Interstate 64; at its east end, SR 33 overlaps State Route 30.
Passing through New Kent Courthouse, it is locally known as the New Kent Highway. http://www.newkent.net/
. The western 11 miles (17.7 km) roughly follow the old Richmond-Williamsburg Stage Road, and it currently is named New Kent Highway. (The continuation east across SR 33 as State Route 632 is still named Old Stage Road.) http://www.newkent.net/ The Old Stage Road was one of two routes heavily used by both Confederate and Union troops in 1862 during the Peninsula Campaign
of the American Civil War
.
In the early 1970s, the new Interstate 64 was under construction east of Richmond
. Although primarily following the alignment of US 60 in this area, traffic relief for other roadways was also anticipated. Nearby, SR 33 between Eltham
and Quinton
in New Kent County had an extraordinarily high accident rate due to heavy weekend traffic to waterfront points in eastern Virginia.
Upon partial completion, in the early 1970s, a stretch of newly-built Interstate 64 was opened early (from exit 205 to exit 220) as State Route 33 in order to divert traffic off one of the most accident-prone portions of the former winding and hilly two-lane route through New Kent Courthouse, which was renumbered State Route 249. Although the Interstate Highway was not ready for the heavy traffic load which would come from the through traffic of US 60, Exit 220 provides no easy access to US 60, so the new usage could be anticipated to primarily appeal only to lower volume of the SR 33 traffic. Richmond newspapers at the time praised the move and credited Virginia's highway officials with preventing continued carnage on the old highway.
{| class=wikitable
!Location
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
| Bottoms Bridge
| 0.00
|
| Western terminus; SR 33 continues west as New Kent Highway to US 60
|-
| Talleysville
| 6.61
|
| Traffic roundabout
|-
| New Kent
| 10.39
|
|
|-
| Angel View Church
| 18.43
|
| Eastern terminus; SR 30 continues south as New Kent Highway
State highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...
in the eastern part of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. It is an old alignment of State Route 33 in New Kent County, running between Bottoms Bridge
Bottoms Bridge, Virginia
Bottoms Bridge is a small unincorporated community in New Kent County, Virginia, United States. Located on U.S. Route 60 and State Route 33 in modern times, it was named for a crossing of the Chickahominy River between New Kent and Henrico County....
and Angel View Church via Talleysville and New Kent
New Kent, Virginia
New Kent is a census-designated place in and the county seat of New Kent County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 239.-References:...
. At its west end, SR 33 overlaps Interstate 64; at its east end, SR 33 overlaps State Route 30.
Passing through New Kent Courthouse, it is locally known as the New Kent Highway. http://www.newkent.net/
History
The current SR 249 was assigned in the early 1970s to a portion of former State Route 33 in New Kent CountyNew Kent County, Virginia
At the 2000 census, there were 13,462 people, 4,925 households and 3,895 families residing in the county. The population density was 64 per square mile . There were 5,203 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile...
. The western 11 miles (17.7 km) roughly follow the old Richmond-Williamsburg Stage Road, and it currently is named New Kent Highway. (The continuation east across SR 33 as State Route 632 is still named Old Stage Road.) http://www.newkent.net/ The Old Stage Road was one of two routes heavily used by both Confederate and Union troops in 1862 during the Peninsula Campaign
Peninsula Campaign
The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B...
of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
In the early 1970s, the new Interstate 64 was under construction east of Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. Although primarily following the alignment of US 60 in this area, traffic relief for other roadways was also anticipated. Nearby, SR 33 between Eltham
Eltham, Virginia
Eltham is a small unincorporated community in New Kent County, Virginia, United States. Located along State Routes 30, 33, and 249 in modern times, it is located slightly west of the town of West Point. It was named for Eltham Plantation, across from West Point on the nearby Pamunkey River...
and Quinton
Quinton, Virginia
Quinton is a small unincorporated community in New Kent County, Virginia, United States. It is located on State Route 249 in the western portion of the county....
in New Kent County had an extraordinarily high accident rate due to heavy weekend traffic to waterfront points in eastern Virginia.
Upon partial completion, in the early 1970s, a stretch of newly-built Interstate 64 was opened early (from exit 205 to exit 220) as State Route 33 in order to divert traffic off one of the most accident-prone portions of the former winding and hilly two-lane route through New Kent Courthouse, which was renumbered State Route 249. Although the Interstate Highway was not ready for the heavy traffic load which would come from the through traffic of US 60, Exit 220 provides no easy access to US 60, so the new usage could be anticipated to primarily appeal only to lower volume of the SR 33 traffic. Richmond newspapers at the time praised the move and credited Virginia's highway officials with preventing continued carnage on the old highway.
Major intersections
Note: The entire route is in New Kent CountyNew Kent County, Virginia
At the 2000 census, there were 13,462 people, 4,925 households and 3,895 families residing in the county. The population density was 64 per square mile . There were 5,203 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile...
{| class=wikitable
!Location
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
| Bottoms Bridge
Bottoms Bridge, Virginia
Bottoms Bridge is a small unincorporated community in New Kent County, Virginia, United States. Located on U.S. Route 60 and State Route 33 in modern times, it was named for a crossing of the Chickahominy River between New Kent and Henrico County....
| 0.00
|
| Western terminus; SR 33 continues west as New Kent Highway to US 60
|-
| Talleysville
| 6.61
|
| Traffic roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
|-
| New Kent
New Kent, Virginia
New Kent is a census-designated place in and the county seat of New Kent County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 239.-References:...
| 10.39
|
|
|-
| Angel View Church
| 18.43
|
| Eastern terminus; SR 30 continues south as New Kent Highway