State Route 117 (SR 117) is a

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 Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. Known as Peters Creek Road, the state highway runs from

U.S. Route 11 {{Infobox road , country=USA , type=US , route=11 , map={{maplink, frame=yes, plain=yes, frame-align=center, frame-width=290, frame-height=330, type=line, from=U.S. Route 11.map , map_custom=yes , map_notes=US 11 in red, US 11E in blue, US 11W in ...

(US 11) in Roanoke north to US 11 in Hollins. SR 117 provides a four-lane divided highway bypass of

Downtown Roanoke Downtown is the central business district of Roanoke, Virginia, United States. Located geographically at the center of the city, Downtown began its development with the completion of the Shenandoah Valley Railroad in 1882. Today the Downtown co ...

, connecting US 11 and

US 460 U.S. Route 460 (US 460) is a spur route of U.S. Route 60. It currently runs for 655 miles (1,054 km) from Norfolk, Virginia, at its parent route U.S. Route 60 at Ocean View to Frankfort, Kentucky, intersecting its parent route once ...

on the southwest and northwest sides of Roanoke and Hollins in northeastern

Roanoke County Roanoke County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 96,929. Its county seat is Salem, but the county administrative offices are located in the unincorporated Cave ...

Route description

SR 117 begins at an intersection with US 11 (Brandon Avenue) west of Downtown Roanoke. The state highway heads north as a five-lane road with a

center left-turn lane A reversible lane (British English: tidal flow) is a lane in which traffic may travel in either direction, depending on certain conditions. Typically, it is meant to improve traffic flow during rush hours, by having overhead traffic lights and li ...

that crosses

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...

's Whitethorne District. North of the rail crossing, SR 117 becomes a

divided highway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...

with controlled access. The state highway passes through an industrial park and crosses over the

Roanoke River The Roanoke River ( ) runs long through southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States. A major river of the southeastern United States, it drains a largely rural area of the coastal plain from the eastern edge of the App ...

and the western end of the rail yard on Norfolk Southern's

Christiansburg District Christiansburg can refer to a place in the United States: * Christiansburg, Indiana *Christiansburg, Ohio *Christiansburg, Virginia Christiansburg (formerly Hans Meadows) is a town in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States. The population wa ...

. North of the rail yard, SR 117 intersects Shenandoah Avenue to the east of the

Salem Veterans Affairs Medical Center Salem Veteran Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) is a Veterans Affairs hospital located in Salem, Virginia. Health care services are provided to veterans living in a 26-county area of southwestern Virginia. In addition to the main facility in Salem, ...

. The state highway begins to parallel Peters Creek to the west of the Wilmont neighborhood and intersects Salem Turnpike before reaching its junction with US 460 and US 11 Alternate (Melrose Avenue). SR 117 continues north along Peters Creek as the highway passes to the west of the Washington Heights and Westview Terrace neighborhoods and meets the western end of SR 101 (Hershberger Road). At its intersection with Cove Road, the boundary between the city of Roanoke and Roanoke County begins to follow the western margin of the road, which curves to the northeast away from Peters Creek and has a

cloverleaf interchange A cloverleaf interchange is a two-level interchange in which all turns are handled by slip roads. To go left (in right-hand traffic; reverse directions in left-driving regions), vehicles first continue as one road passes over or under the ...

with

Interstate 581 Interstate 581 (I-581) is a spur off I-81 into Roanoke, Virginia, completely overlapping US Route 220 (US 220). It is planned to be connected to I-73. Future I-73 Corridor signs are marked on I-581 on the southbound side just ...

and

US 220 U.S. Route 220 (US 220) is a spur route of US 20. It runs in a north–south layout in the eastern United States, unlike its parent route as well as conventionally even-numbered highways which run east-west. US 220 extends for fr ...

. SR 117 passes along the northern edge of

Roanoke Regional Airport Roanoke may refer to: Places *Roanoke Colony, a former English colony that mysteriously disappeared *Roanoke Island, the location of the Roanoke colony in present-day North Carolina *Roanoke River, flowing through Virginia and North Carolina and e ...

and enters Roanoke County at its intersection with SR 628 (Wood Haven Road). A short distance east of the city limit, the state highway meets the northern end of SR 118 (Airport Road), which provides access to the airport from the north. SR 117 reaches its northern terminus at US 11 (Williamson Road) in Hollins.

History

Prior to 1998, the road cut off at Melrose Avenue. Prior to 1947, the road continued eastbound on Melrose Avenue/East Main Street into Salem, ending at about Roanoke College; however, it is unclear if the road ended at College Avenue (

) or Craig Street (then Virginia State Route 311). It had a "Y" alignment at this time, Texas Street and Lynchburg Turnpike, that are now part of U.S. 460 Alternate.

Major intersections

References

External links

Virginia Highways Project: VA 117
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117 117 may refer to: *117 (number) *AD 117 *117 BC *117 (emergency telephone number) *117 (MBTA bus) * 117 (TFL bus) *117 (New Jersey bus) *''117°'', a 1998 album by Izzy Stradlin *No. 117 (SPARTAN-II soldier ID), personal name John, the Master Chief ...

State Route 117 State Route 117