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Virginia State Route 288: Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 08:14, 31 March 2006 editJkatzen (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users1,981 edits calm down. it's not speculation that the road was originally planned to continue as a seamless extention of I-295← Previous edit Revision as of 10:23, 31 March 2006 edit undoSPUI (talk | contribs)75,418 edits then remove speculation about it being "unclear why it has never been awarded an I-95 spur route designation" - a whole lot of roads are built to I-standards but are not InterstatesNext edit →
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==Description of route== ==Description of route==

VA 288 may be thought of as the southwestern "outer beltway" of ]. The southern terminus begins at ] near ] and it extends northwesterly through Metropolitan Richmond's ] through ] and ]. It crosses the ] on the ] and into ] in Richmond's ] where it terminates at ] near ]. VA 288 may be thought of as the southwestern "outer beltway" of ]. The southern terminus begins at ] near ] and it extends northwesterly through Metropolitan Richmond's ] through ] and ]. It crosses the ] on the ] and into ] in Richmond's ] where it terminates at ] near ].


The highway has been built entirely to ] standards, and it is unclear why it has never been awarded an I-95 spur route designation. This is especially unusual considering the road's history: it was initially planned to continue as an expressway connection at the terminus of I-295 northwest of the city, creating a seamless looping highway (named I-295 north of I-64 and named VA 288 south of I-64). The highway has been built entirely to ]. It was initially planned to continue as an expressway connection at the terminus of I-295 northwest of the city, creating a full ] (named I-295 north of I-64 and east of I-95, and Route 288 in the southwest quadrant).<ref>], </ref> There is however no evidence that it was to be an Interstate.


==Major intersections and points== ==Major intersections and points==


* ] (formerly ]) in Chesterfield County * ] (formerly ]) in Chesterfield County
* ] (] and ]) in Chesterfield County * ] (] and ]) in Chesterfield County

Revision as of 10:23, 31 March 2006

File:VA Route 288 Shield.svg

Virginia State Highway 288 is a semi-circumferential limited-access highway near Richmond, Virginia. It was officially dedicated as the "World War II Veterans Memorial Highway" in 2004.

History

Sections of the road were built over a period of more than 15 years. The 17.4-mile-long southern portion of VA-288 in Chesterfield County (from I-95 to the Powhite Parkway near Midlothian, Virginia) was completed in 1989. Initially, the highway was planned to continue north and west of this temporary terminus to connect with I-64 at I-295, creating a seamless straight connection between I-295 and VA-288.

However, this planned corridor and a river crossing into Henrico County was abandoned in 1988 due to heavy development of residential neighborhoods along the intended path in Chesterfield County during the years after initial planning. Instead, a more westerly right-of-way was selected through Powhatan and Goochland Counties, causing a break in what would have been a continuous loop between I-295 and VA-288. In 2004, construction was completed including a new crossing of the James River.

Description of route

VA 288 may be thought of as the southwestern "outer beltway" of Metropolitan Richmond. The southern terminus begins at Interstate 95 near Chester, Virginia and it extends northwesterly through Metropolitan Richmond's Southside area through Chesterfield County and Powhatan County. It crosses the James River on the World War II Veterans Memorial Bridge and into Goochland County in Richmond's Far West End area where it terminates at Interstate 64 near Short Pump.

The highway has been built entirely to Interstate standards. It was initially planned to continue as an expressway connection at the terminus of I-295 northwest of the city, creating a full beltway (named I-295 north of I-64 and east of I-95, and Route 288 in the southwest quadrant). There is however no evidence that it was to be an Interstate.

Major intersections and points

Trivia

  • The abandoned corridor planned for VA 288 in western Henrico County became the John Rolfe Parkway, a connector street, rather than a limited-access highway. John Rolfe and Pocahontas lived at their plantation Varina Farms in the eastern end of Henrico County after their marriage in 1614. The tiny village of Varina which sprang up on their plantation was the first county seat of Henrico County (from 1634 until 1752).
  • Henrico County was able to preserve its planned corridor for Route 288 from development while Chesterfield County was not. This was partially due to the fact that Henrico and Arlington County are the only two counties in Virginia which control and maintain their own secondary highways and streets. VDOT handles this for Chesterfield and all other counties, but has little control of residential development.

See also

External links

  1. Virginia Department of Highways, Final Environmental/Section 4(f) Statement Administrative Action for Interstate Route 295
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