Virginia...


US 58:


Summary:

Detailed Description:
A major east-west intrastate highway, US 58 traverses just over 500 miles of every kind of terrain in Virginia. To be exact, the 2002 mileage was 506, but that number doesn't include the newly opened bypasses of Stuart, Dansville, or Clarksville. Traffic on the rest of the 4-lane rural segments of the highway may be speeding up as well. The Virginia legislature passed a law allowing for 60 mph speed limits on certain rural 4-lane highways, including US 58. For the most part, US 58 is close to its southern neighbors, Tennessee and North Carolina. In fact, the longest distance that ever lies between the highway and the state line is at Virginia Beach, at a distance of approximately 25 miles. On the newly opened Danville Bypass, the main lanes are only several hundred feet away from the state line, and interchange ramps cross into North Carolina.

US 58 is not slated to be converted to an interstate, but improvements to the 500 mile stretch calls for bypasses and four-laning most of the remaining 2 lane highway segments. In addition, US 58 would be considered a one-state US highway if were not for the fact it enters into Tennessee for one mile, terminating at US 25E near Cumberland Gap, TN.

History:

More History: (courtesy of Mike Roberson - click here)

Junction Log (I-85 to Virginia Beach):

Future Improvements:
The entire length of US 58 in Virginia is proposed to be upgraded to 4-lane status with the exception of the segment from Damascus to Volney. Virginia roads expert Scott Kozel describes the plans for this area:

"I talked to the VDOT manager of the U.S. Route 58 Corridor Development Program, a couple months ago, and asked him about the plans for the section of US-58 between Abingdon and Hillsville.  This section has I-81 and I-77 in place to carry the US-58 through traffic across that section of the US-58 corridor, so that section of US-58 has lower priority for 4-laning than the rest of the corridor.

 

He told me that the current plan, which is tentative due to the number of years that it would take to complete it all, is to upgrade US-58 to 4 lanes between Abingdon to Damascus, build a relocated 4-lane VA-16 to connect I-81 at Marion to US-58 at Volney, upgrade and relocate parts of US-58 to 4 lanes between Volney and Independence, and build a US-58 4-lane bypass of Independence to connect to the section of US-58 that is all 4 lanes between east of Independence and I-77 at Hillsville.

 

The Independence Bypass and the upgrade of the Abingdon-Damascus section are projects likely to be placed under construction in the next 6 years or so, and the remainder would be further into the future.

 

Due to its low traffic volumes and its scenic nature, the section of US-58 between Damascus and Volney would remain 2 lanes, with improvement projects in a few places."

Sources:
Lou Corsaro and Adam Froehlig wrote the material for the US 58 page. The page was organized by Eric Smith. The following additional sources were used: VDOT state transportation map, Mapquest, Mike Roberson, Scott Kozel.

Last Updated: 1/12/06

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