State Route 53 (SR 53) is a primary
state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
in the U.S. state of
Virginia. Known as Thomas Jefferson Parkway, the state highway runs from
SR 20 near
Charlottesville east to
U.S. Route 15
U.S. Route 15 (US 15) is a -long United States highway, designated along South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York. The route is signed north–south, from U.S. Route 17 Alternate in Walterboro, South Caro ...
(US 15) in
Palmyra. SR 53 connects the
county seats of
Albemarle and
Fluvanna counties. The state highway also provides access to the community of
Lake Monticello and
Monticello, the estate of
Thomas Jefferson. The route of SR 53 became a state highway in 1930; the highway receives its present designation in 1947.
Route description
SR 53 begins at an intersection with SR 20 (Scottsville Road) a short distance south of SR 20's interchange with
Interstate 64 in Albemarle County just south of the
independent city of Charlottesville. The state highway heads east and begins to ascend Carters Mountain, which is part of the
Southwest Mountains. Just west of
Michie Tavern
Michie Tavern (Pron: ), located in Albemarle County, Virginia, is a Virginia Historic Landmark that was established in 1784 by Scotsman William Michie, though in Earlysville. The Tavern served as the social center of its community and provided t ...
, SR 53 winds as it continues to its summit between Monticello to the east and Montalto, also known as the Mountaintop Farm and Patterson Mountain, to the west. A two-way ramp connects SR 53 with the Monticello access road, which passes over the state highway.
SR 53 has a few more curves as it descends the mountain to the hamlet of
Simeon, where the highway intersects SR 795 (James Monroe Parkway). SR 795 leads south to the estate of
James Monroe,
Ashlawn-Highland
Highland, formerly Ash Lawn–Highland, located near Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, and adjacent to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, was the estate of James Monroe, a Founding Father and fifth president of the United States. Purch ...
. SR 53 crosses Buck Island Creek near its confluence with the
Rivanna River before entering Fluvanna County.
The state highway passes along the western edge of the suburban resort community of Lake Monticello, which is centered around the lake of the same name. The state highway reaches its eastern terminus at US 15 (James Madison Highway) just south of the U.S. Highway's crossing of the Rivanna River in Palmyra, the
county seat.
History
A small piece of SR 53, from the west end at SR 20 towards
Monticello, was added to the state highway system in 1930 (along with SR 20 north to Charlottesville) as State Route 714; it became State Route 239 in the
1933 renumbering. In 1941,
State Route 20
Route 20, or Highway 20, may refer to:
International
* European route E20
Australia
* Sturt Highway (NSW/VIC/SA)
* Yarra Bank Highway
Brazil
* BR-020
Canada
* Alberta Highway 20
* British Columbia Highway 20
* Manitoba Highway 20
*Ne ...
was extended north from
Scottsville to Charlottesville via
Blenheim and
Overton, absorbing SR 239. SR 20 was shifted west to its current alignment in 1947; at the same time, current SR 53 was upgraded from State Route 642, and a short piece of old SR 20 became SR 53.
Major intersections
References
External links
Virginia Highways Project: VA 53
{{Authority control
053 53 may refer to:
* 53 (number)
* one of the years 53 BC, AD 53, 1953, 2053
* FiftyThree, an American privately held technology company that specializes in tools for mobile creation and visual thinking
* 53rd Regiment Alabama Cavalry
* 53rd Regiment ...
State Route 053
State Route 053