Warwick Road (Chesterfield County)
Encyclopedia
This article is about Warwick Road in the Richmond
area. See also Warwick Road, Perth
. A similarly named roadway, Warwick Boulevard, is located in the former Warwick County
section of Newport News, Virginia
Warwick Road in Chesterfield County, Virginia
was one of the older roadways in the area extending across the northern section of the county. Established in the 18th century in the Virginia Colony, the Warwick Road effectively provided a portage
around the portion of the James River
containing dams and rapids near the fall line
in the area of the towns of Manchester
and Richmond, Virginia
, which were located along the south and north banks of the river respectively.
which was located near the confluence of Falling Creek
and the James River
. Established around 1750 by Archibald Cary
, Warwick was destroyed in 1781 by British General Benedict Arnold
's troops during the American Revolutionary War
.
The 18th century roadway called "The Warwick Road" led through what is now the large DuPont Plant
in Chesterfield County, crossed into areas of Chesterfield annexed by Richmond in 1944 and 1970 which are now part of South Richmond
and returned into Chesterfield County in what is now the Bon Air, Virginia
area. There, it intersected what was called the River Road, which ran closely along the south bank in a westerly direction. The Warwick Road and the River Road in combination formed a portage
from the deep water tidal James River around the falls, rapids, and dams near Manchester
and Richmond to the river west of the there, where it is more shallow. The upper James River was navigable with craft such as bateau boats
for many miles to the west.
Portions of Warwick Road were hard-surfaced after it became part of Virginia's Secondary Road System under the Byrd Road Act
in 1932. During second half of the 20th century, portions of Warwick Road east of Chippenham Parkway became hazardous as the area became heavily developed with housing subdivisions and suburban growth, and the traffic volume increased greatly on the two-laned curving roadway, which had no shoulders and deep ditches along the narrow right-of-way
which had been established many years before the invention of the automobile
. Warwick Road became notorious for many fatal automobile crashes.
at a cost of $41 million US with funding from the Virginia Department of Transportation
. It was built partially along the some sections of the original Warwick Road, and followed the alignment generally.
The connector route, most of which was assigned the historic name of Warwick Road, extends from the intersection of Bells Road and Belt Boulevard (State Route 161 across the CSX A-line (the former Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
Richmond-Florida main line) via a new bridge through major intersections with Broad Rock Boulevard (State Route 10), Hull Street Road (U.S. Route 360
} to an intersection with Midlothian Turnpike, which carries U.S. Route 60.
Several bypassed sections of the older roadway were renamed "Old Warwick Road".
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...
area. See also Warwick Road, Perth
Warwick Road, Perth
Warwick Road is an arterial east-west road located in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. It was built in 1969 to service the Shire of Wanneroo parts of the Hamersley Development Scheme, which was later split into the suburbs of Duncraig, Warwick and Greenwood. Its original alignment,...
. A similarly named roadway, Warwick Boulevard, is located in the former Warwick County
Warwick County, Virginia
Warwick County was a county in Southeast Virginia that was created from Warwick River Shire, one of eight created in the Virginia Colony in 1634. It became the City of Warwick on July 16, 1952...
section of Newport News, Virginia
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
Warwick Road in Chesterfield County, Virginia
Chesterfield County, Virginia
Chesterfield County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. In 2010, its population was estimated to be 316,236. Chesterfield County is now the fourth-largest municipality in Virginia . Its county seat is Chesterfield...
was one of the older roadways in the area extending across the northern section of the county. Established in the 18th century in the Virginia Colony, the Warwick Road effectively provided a portage
Portage
Portage or portaging refers to the practice of carrying watercraft or cargo over land to avoid river obstacles, or between two bodies of water. A place where this carrying occurs is also called a portage; a person doing the carrying is called a porter.The English word portage is derived from the...
around the portion of the James River
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
containing dams and rapids near the fall line
Fall line
A fall line is a geomorphologic unconformity between an upland region of relatively hard crystalline basement rock and a coastal plain of softer sedimentary rock. A fall line is typically prominent when crossed by a river, for there will often be rapids or waterfalls...
in the area of the towns of Manchester
Manchester, Virginia
Manchester, Virginia is a former independent city in Virginia in the United States. Prior to receiving independent status, it served as the county seat of Chesterfield County, between 1870 and 1876...
and Richmond, Virginia
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...
, which were located along the south and north banks of the river respectively.
Historical path from 18th century port town
Warwick Road originated at its namesake, the former 18th century port town of WarwickWarwick, Virginia (Chesterfield County)
Warwick was an unincorporated town and port in Chesterfield County, Virginia, located on the navigable portion of the James River about 5 miles south of downtown Richmond, Virginia...
which was located near the confluence of Falling Creek
Falling Creek
Falling Creek is a tributary of the James River located near Richmond, Virginia. Approximately in length, it varies in width between at its source to several hundred feet in the Falling Creek Reservoir. Falling Creek rises in the Salisbury section of northwestern Chesterfield County and empties...
and the James River
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
. Established around 1750 by Archibald Cary
Archibald Cary
Archibald Cary was a public figure from the colony of Virginia.-Life:Cary was a member of the House of Burgesses from 1756 to 1776...
, Warwick was destroyed in 1781 by British General Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold V was a general during the American Revolutionary War. He began the war in the Continental Army but later defected to the British Army. While a general on the American side, he obtained command of the fort at West Point, New York, and plotted to surrender it to the British forces...
's troops during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
.
The 18th century roadway called "The Warwick Road" led through what is now the large DuPont Plant
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
in Chesterfield County, crossed into areas of Chesterfield annexed by Richmond in 1944 and 1970 which are now part of South 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...
and returned into Chesterfield County in what is now the Bon Air, Virginia
Bon Air, Virginia
Bon Air is a census-designated place in Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States. The population was 16,366 at the 2010 census. The community is considered a suburb of the independent city of Richmond in the Richmond-Petersburg region, and shares a post office with Richmond...
area. There, it intersected what was called the River Road, which ran closely along the south bank in a westerly direction. The Warwick Road and the River Road in combination formed a portage
Portage
Portage or portaging refers to the practice of carrying watercraft or cargo over land to avoid river obstacles, or between two bodies of water. A place where this carrying occurs is also called a portage; a person doing the carrying is called a porter.The English word portage is derived from the...
from the deep water tidal James River around the falls, rapids, and dams near Manchester
Manchester, Virginia
Manchester, Virginia is a former independent city in Virginia in the United States. Prior to receiving independent status, it served as the county seat of Chesterfield County, between 1870 and 1876...
and Richmond to the river west of the there, where it is more shallow. The upper James River was navigable with craft such as bateau boats
James River Bateau
The James River Bateau was a shallow draft river craft used during the period from 1775 to 1840 to transport tobacco and other cargo on the James river and its tributaries in the state of Virginia. It was flat bottomed and pointed at both ends. The length of the bateau varied greatly, 58 feet ...
for many miles to the west.
20th century
Although apparently not used for portage purposes after the destruction of Warwick in 1781, much of the original Warwick Road remained intact as a through route until around 1960 when Chippenham Parkway was built and severed it between Jahnke Road and Midlothian Turnpike near Bon Air. However, portions of the old pathway remain in use in 2007. From east to west, these include sections of modern Walmsley Boulevard, Warwick Road, and Old Warwick Road in South Richmond, and Brown Road and Belleau Drive in Chesterfield County.Portions of Warwick Road were hard-surfaced after it became part of Virginia's Secondary Road System under the Byrd Road Act
Byrd Road Act
Byrd Road Act was an Act of Assembly passed in February, 1932 by the Virginia General Assembly. Named for former Governor Harry F. Byrd, the legislation was originally presented as measure to relieve the financial pressures of the Great Depression upon the counties, as the state offered to take...
in 1932. During second half of the 20th century, portions of Warwick Road east of Chippenham Parkway became hazardous as the area became heavily developed with housing subdivisions and suburban growth, and the traffic volume increased greatly on the two-laned curving roadway, which had no shoulders and deep ditches along the narrow right-of-way
Easement
An easement is a certain right to use the real property of another without possessing it.Easements are helpful for providing pathways across two or more pieces of property or allowing an individual to fish in a privately owned pond...
which had been established many years before the invention of the automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
. Warwick Road became notorious for many fatal automobile crashes.
Newer connector road in South Richmond
In the 1990s, a newer 4.5-mile-long four-lane connector route was built in the annexed area of the City of RichmondRichmond, 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...
at a cost of $41 million US with funding from the Virginia Department of Transportation
Virginia Department of Transportation
The Virginia Department of Transportation is the agency of state government responsible for transportation in the state of Virginia in the United States. Headquartered in Downtown Richmond, VDOT is responsible for building, maintaining, and operating the roads, bridges and tunnels in the...
. It was built partially along the some sections of the original Warwick Road, and followed the alignment generally.
The connector route, most of which was assigned the historic name of Warwick Road, extends from the intersection of Bells Road and Belt Boulevard (State Route 161 across the CSX A-line (the former Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was an American railroad that existed between 1900 and 1967, when it merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, its long-time rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad...
Richmond-Florida main line) via a new bridge through major intersections with Broad Rock Boulevard (State Route 10), Hull Street Road (U.S. Route 360
U.S. Route 360
U.S. Route 360 is a spur of US 60 in the U.S. state of Virginia. The U.S. Highway runs from US 58 Business, Virginia State Route 293, and SR 360 in Danville east to SR 644 in Reedville. US 360 connects Danville, South Boston, and Keysville in Southside Virginia with the state capital of...
} to an intersection with Midlothian Turnpike, which carries U.S. Route 60.
Several bypassed sections of the older roadway were renamed "Old Warwick Road".