Virginia State Route 9
Encyclopedia
Virginia State Route 9 is a primary state highway
in the U.S. state
of Virginia
. Known as Charles Town Pike, the state highway runs 13.08 miles (21.1 km) from the West Virginia
state line near Mechanicsville
, where the highway continues west as West Virginia Route 9 (WV 9), east to SR 7
and SR 7 Business near Paeonian Springs
. SR 9 is the main east–west highway of northwestern Loudoun County
, connecting Leesburg
with Hillsboro and the West Virginia cities of Charles Town
and Martinsburg
. As a result, the state highway and its West Virginia continuation are a major, overburdened commuter route between the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia
and Washington, D.C.
.
, a wind gap
on top of Blue Ridge Mountain
. The highway continues west as WV 9 on a curvaceous descent of the mountain down to the Shenandoah River
then west through the eastern part of the Shenandoah Valley
to Charles Town
. SR 9 heads southeast as a two-lane road, passing to the west of Purcell Knob
as the highway descends Blue Ridge Mountain to the village of Mechanicsville in a valley known as Between the Hills
. At the eastern edge of the narrow north–south valley, the state highway parallels the North Fork of Catoctin Creek
through Hillsboro Gap
, a water gap
in Short Hill Mountain
, into the town of Hillsboro. SR 9 continues east through the much wider Catoctin Valley
, crossing the North Fork and intersecting SR 287
in the hamlet of Wheatland
. The state highway veers southeast and crosses the South Fork of Catoctin Creek before reaching the community of Paeonian Springs. SR 9 curves south to its southern terminus at Clarke's Gap, a low point in Catoctin Mountain
. The state highway expands to a four-lane divided highway and meets SR 7 (Harry Byrd Highway) at a diamond interchange
. SR 9 is paralleled through the interchange by the Washington and Old Dominion Trail. At the southern end of the interchange, the highway continues southward as SR 7 Business (Colonial Highway), which immediately turns west toward Hamilton
.
.
The Virginia Legislature voted to make Virginia State Route 9 (the entire length) a Virginia Byway
on March 21, 2002.
{| class=wikitable
!Location
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|Mechanicsville
|0.00
|
|Western terminus; West Virginia
state line at Keyes Gap
on Blue Ridge Mountain
|-
|Wheatland
|7.77
|
|
|-
|Paeonian Springs
|13.08
|
|Eastern terminus; diamond interchange
with SR 7 at Clarke's Gap
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 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...
. Known as Charles Town Pike, the state highway runs 13.08 miles (21.1 km) from the West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
state line near Mechanicsville
Mechanicsville, Loudoun County, Virginia
Mechanicsville is an unincorporated community in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. Mechanicsville is located on Virginia Route 9 northwest of Hillsboro....
, where the highway continues west as West Virginia Route 9 (WV 9), east to SR 7
Virginia State Route 7
State Route 7 is a major primary state highway and busy commuter route in Northern Virginia, United States. It travels southeast from downtown Winchester to State Route 400 in downtown Alexandria...
and SR 7 Business near Paeonian Springs
Paeonian Springs, Virginia
Paeonian Springs is an unincorporated community in Loudoun County, Virginia, USA. It is located on the Charles Town Pike near its intersection with the Harry Byrd Highway . Paeonian Springs was established in 1890 and is currently served by a post office.- External links :*...
. SR 9 is the main east–west highway of northwestern Loudoun County
Loudoun County, Virginia
Loudoun County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county is estimated to be home to 312,311 people, an 84 percent increase over the 2000 figure of 169,599. That increase makes the county the fourth...
, connecting Leesburg
Leesburg, Virginia
Leesburg is a historic town in, and county seat of, Loudoun County, Virginia, United States of America. Leesburg is located west-northwest of Washington, D.C. along the base of the Catoctin Mountain and adjacent to the Potomac River. Its population according the 2010 Census is 42,616...
with Hillsboro and the West Virginia cities of Charles Town
Charles Town, West Virginia
Charles Town is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,907 at the 2000 census. Due to its similar name, travelers have sometimes confused this city with the state's capital, Charleston.-History:...
and Martinsburg
Martinsburg, West Virginia
Martinsburg is a city in the Eastern Panhandle region of West Virginia, United States. The city's population was 14,972 at the 2000 census; according to a 2009 Census Bureau estimate, Martinsburg's population was 17,117, making it the largest city in the Eastern Panhandle and the eighth largest...
. As a result, the state highway and its West Virginia continuation are a major, overburdened commuter route between the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia
Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia
The Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia is a narrow stretch of territory in the northeast of the state, bordering Maryland and Virginia, United States. The Eastern Panhandle Board of Realtors and other local civic organizations consider only the three Easternmost counties, Jefferson, Berkeley and...
and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
.
Route description
SR 9 begins at the West Virginia state line at Keyes GapKeyes Gap
Keyes Gap or Keyes' Gap is a wind gap in the Blue Ridge Mountain on the border of Loudoun County, Virginia and Jefferson County, West Virginia. The gap is traversed by Virginia State Route 9/West Virginia State Route 9. The Appalachian Trail also crosses the gap.-History:Originally known as...
, a wind gap
Wind gap
A wind gap is a valley through which a waterway once flowed, but is now dry as a result of stream capture. A water gap is a similar feature, but one in which a waterway still flows...
on top of Blue Ridge Mountain
Blue Ridge Mountain
Blue Ridge Mountain, also known as Blue Mountain, is the colloquial name of the western most ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia...
. The highway continues west as WV 9 on a curvaceous descent of the mountain down to the Shenandoah River
Shenandoah River
The Shenandoah River is a tributary of the Potomac River, long with two forks approximately long each, in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia...
then west through the eastern part of the Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...
to Charles Town
Charles Town, West Virginia
Charles Town is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,907 at the 2000 census. Due to its similar name, travelers have sometimes confused this city with the state's capital, Charleston.-History:...
. SR 9 heads southeast as a two-lane road, passing to the west of Purcell Knob
Purcell Knob
Purcell Knob is a spur of the Blue Ridge Mountain in Loudoun County, Virginia. The peak is just northeast of the main ridge at Keyes Gap and southeast of the village of Neersville....
as the highway descends Blue Ridge Mountain to the village of Mechanicsville in a valley known as Between the Hills
Between the Hills
Between the Hills is a small valley in northwest Loudoun County, Virginia, distinct from, but associated with the greater Loudoun Valley.-Geography:...
. At the eastern edge of the narrow north–south valley, the state highway parallels the North Fork of Catoctin Creek
Catoctin Creek (Virginia)
Catoctin Creek is a tributary of the Potomac River in Loudoun County, Virginia, with a watershed of . Agricultural lands make up 67 percent and forests 30 percent of Catoctin Creek's watershed...
through Hillsboro Gap
Hillsboro Gap
Hillsboro Gap, also known as the Gap in the Short Hill is a water gap in the Short Hill Mountain formed by the North Fork of the Catoctin Creek in Loudoun County, Virginia. The gap derives its name from the town of Hillsboro, which is nestled in the gap...
, a water gap
Water gap
A water gap is an opening or notch which flowing water has carved through a mountain range. Water gaps often offer a practical route for road and rail transport to cross mountain ridges.- Geology :...
in Short Hill Mountain
Short Hill Mountain
Short Hill Mountain is a mountain ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northwest Loudoun County, Virginia.- Geography :Short Hill rises sharply from the Piedmont countryside of the Loudoun Valley, northwest of Purcellville, as a low-lying ridge barely over above the surrounding area...
, into the town of Hillsboro. SR 9 continues east through the much wider Catoctin Valley
Catoctin Valley
The Catoctin Valley is a small valley, geographically and culturally associated with the larger Loudoun Valley in Loudoun County, Virginia.-Geography:...
, crossing the North Fork and intersecting SR 287
Virginia State Route 287
Virginia State Route 287 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known as Berlin Pike, the state highway runs from SR 7 Business in Purcellville north to the Maryland state line at the Potomac River near Lovettsville, where the highway continues as Maryland Route 17...
in the hamlet of Wheatland
Wheatland, Virginia
Wheatland is an unincorporated community in Loudoun County, Virginia located north of Purcellville and south of Lovettsville on Berlin Turnpike...
. The state highway veers southeast and crosses the South Fork of Catoctin Creek before reaching the community of Paeonian Springs. SR 9 curves south to its southern terminus at Clarke's Gap, a low point in Catoctin Mountain
Catoctin Mountain
Catoctin Mountain, along with the geologically associated Bull Run Mountains, comprises the easternmost mountain ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are in turn a part of the Appalachian Mountains range...
. The state highway expands to a four-lane divided highway and meets SR 7 (Harry Byrd Highway) at a diamond interchange
Diamond interchange
A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a freeway crosses a minor road. The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge...
. SR 9 is paralleled through the interchange by the Washington and Old Dominion Trail. At the southern end of the interchange, the highway continues southward as SR 7 Business (Colonial Highway), which immediately turns west toward Hamilton
Hamilton, Virginia
Hamilton is a town in the Loudoun Valley of Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. The population was 562 as of the 2000 census.-Geography:...
.
Future
Route 9 has been the subject of considerable debate. West Virginia is constructing a four-lane expressway by-pass of the current Route 9 - a winding two-lane rural road - to U.S. Route 340 in Charles Town. The expressway will end at Route 9 at the Virginia state line http://www.wvroute9.com/route/index.htm, raising concerns in Loudoun County about increasing traffic along the road's narrow, winding stretch through the town of Hillsboro. A proposed bypass of Hillsboro was considered as part of the County's long range transportation plan, debated publicly, and rejected by the County Board of Supervisors in June of 2010. Instead, the town of Hillsboro is studying traffic calming measures http://www.leesburg2day.com/articles/2010/06/21/news/towns_and_villages/691hillsboro060210.txt in hopes of encouraging West Virginia traffic to detour through Clarke County via U.S. Route 340 and Virginia State Route 7Virginia State Route 7
State Route 7 is a major primary state highway and busy commuter route in Northern Virginia, United States. It travels southeast from downtown Winchester to State Route 400 in downtown Alexandria...
.
The Virginia Legislature voted to make Virginia State Route 9 (the entire length) a Virginia Byway
Virginia Byway
A Virginia Byway is a scenic road designated by the U.S. state of Virginia as one that can introduce tourists to alternate destinations. According to the Virginia Department of Transportation , there are over 3,000 miles of scenic roads in Virginia, many of which have been designated as...
on March 21, 2002.
Major intersections
The entire route is in Loudoun CountyLoudoun County, Virginia
Loudoun County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county is estimated to be home to 312,311 people, an 84 percent increase over the 2000 figure of 169,599. That increase makes the county the fourth...
{| class=wikitable
!Location
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|Mechanicsville
Mechanicsville, Loudoun County, Virginia
Mechanicsville is an unincorporated community in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. Mechanicsville is located on Virginia Route 9 northwest of Hillsboro....
|0.00
|
|Western terminus; West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
state line at Keyes Gap
Keyes Gap
Keyes Gap or Keyes' Gap is a wind gap in the Blue Ridge Mountain on the border of Loudoun County, Virginia and Jefferson County, West Virginia. The gap is traversed by Virginia State Route 9/West Virginia State Route 9. The Appalachian Trail also crosses the gap.-History:Originally known as...
on Blue Ridge Mountain
Blue Ridge Mountain
Blue Ridge Mountain, also known as Blue Mountain, is the colloquial name of the western most ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia...
|-
|Wheatland
Wheatland, Virginia
Wheatland is an unincorporated community in Loudoun County, Virginia located north of Purcellville and south of Lovettsville on Berlin Turnpike...
|7.77
|
|
|-
|Paeonian Springs
Paeonian Springs, Virginia
Paeonian Springs is an unincorporated community in Loudoun County, Virginia, USA. It is located on the Charles Town Pike near its intersection with the Harry Byrd Highway . Paeonian Springs was established in 1890 and is currently served by a post office.- External links :*...
|13.08
|
|Eastern terminus; diamond interchange
Diamond interchange
A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a freeway crosses a minor road. The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge...
with SR 7 at Clarke's Gap