State Route 6 (SR 6) 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
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 for most of its length as River Road, the state highway runs from
U.S. Route 250
U.S. Route 250 (US 250) is a route of the United States Numbered Highway System, and is a spur of U.S. Route 50. It currently runs for from Richmond, Virginia to Sandusky, Ohio. It passes through the states of Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio. ...
(US 250) in
Afton east to
SR 161 in
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
. SR 6 is one of the main highways of mountainous
Nelson County, where the highway runs north–south from its beginning to
US 29
U.S. Route 29 (US 29) is a north–south United States highway that runs for from Pensacola, Florida to the western suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland in the Southern United States, connecting the Florida Panhandle to the Baltimore-Washington ...
. From
Scottsville to Richmond, the state highway parallels the
James River
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...
. SR 6 is a major suburban highway through southwestern
Henrico County
Henrico County , officially the County of Henrico, is located in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 334,389 making it the fifth-most populous county in Virginia. Henrico County is incl ...
and the main street of Richmond's
West End.
SR 6 is a
Virginia Byway
A Virginia Byway is a scenic road designated by the Commonwealth of Virginia as one that can introduce tourists to alternative destinations. According to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), there are over of scenic roads in Virginia ...
from
SR 151 at
Avon to
SR 650 near
Manakin
The manakins are a Family (biology), family, Pipridae, of small Tyranni, suboscine passerine birds. The group contains some 54 species distributed through the American tropics. The name is from Middle Dutch ''mannekijn'' "little man" (also the so ...
.
Route description
SR 6 begins at US 250 (Rockfish Gap Turnpike) on the slope of Afton Mountain, the local name for this section of the
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States, and extends 550 miles southwest from southern Pennsylvania through Maryland, West Virgin ...
, about east of
Rockfish Gap
Rockfish Gap is a wind gap located in the Blue Ridge Mountains between Charlottesville and Waynesboro, Virginia, United States, through Afton Mountain, which is frequently used to refer to the gap.
Joining the Shenandoah Valley to the Piedmont r ...
. The state highway heads south as Afton Mountain Road, which descends the mountain curvaceously and passes through the village of Afton, where the highway crosses over a
CSX
CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...
rail line. At the bottom of the descent, SR 6 meets
SR 151 (Critzers Shop Road) in the village of
Avon. The two highways head south as Rockfish Valley Highway through the namesake valley. Just south of
Greenfield, SR 6 leaves SR 151 and heads east as River Road, which follows the
Rockfish River
The Rockfish River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the James River in central Virginia in the United States. Via the James River, it is pa ...
through a mountainous area south to US 29 (Thomas Nelson Highway). SR 6 heads east along the four-lane
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 ...
between several mountains before splitting to the southeast as Irish Road. The state highway crosses over
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
Washington District
The Washington District is a Norfolk Southern Railway line in the U.S. state of Virginia that connects Alexandria, Virginia, Alexandria and Lynchburg, Virginia, Lynchburg. Most of the line was originally built from 1850 to 1860 by the Orange and ...
in
Faber and enters
Albemarle County
Albemarle County is a county located in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is Charlottesville, which is an independent city and enclave entirely surrounded by the county. Albemarle County is part of the Charl ...
at a gap between Shiloh Mountain and Butler Mountain.
SR 6 continues east along a mountainous area where the highway passes through the communities of
Damon, Tillmans,
Esmont
Esmont is a historic home located near Esmont, Albemarle County, Virginia. The house was built about 1818, and is a two-story, three bay, square structure in the Jeffersonian style. It has a double pile, central passage plan. It is topped by ...
, and
Porters Porters may refer to:
* Porters, Virginia, an unincorporated community in Virginia, United States
* Porters, Wisconsin, an unincorporated community in Wisconsin, United States
* Porters Ski Area, a ski resort in New Zealand
* ''Porters'' (TV ser ...
. The state highway enters an area of more gentle terrain on its way to Scottsville, which is on the border between Albemarle and
Fluvanna counties. At the north end of the town, SR 6 joins
SR 20 in a concurrency on Valley Street. In the center of town, SR 6 heads east as Main Street while SR 20 crosses the James River. The state highway parallels the river and CSX's
Rivanna Subdivision
The Rivanna Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. state of Virginia. It was formerly part of the CSX Huntington East Division. It became part of the CSX Florence Division on June 20, 2016. The line runs from Richmo ...
through the town before turning north and ascending out of the river valley. SR 6 continues east as River Road through
Kidds Store and
Cohasset to
Fork Union, home of
Fork Union Military Academy
Fork Union Military Academy (abbreviated as FUMA) is a private, all-male, college preparatory military boarding school located in Fork Union, Virginia. Founded in 1898, Fork Union is considered one of the premier military boarding academies in th ...
. The state highway runs concurrently with
US 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 Car ...
(James Madison Highway) northeast from Fork Union before diverging at
Dixie
Dixie, also known as Dixieland or Dixie's Land, is a nickname for all or part of the Southern United States. While there is no official definition of this region (and the included areas shift over the years), or the extent of the area it cover ...
.
SR 6 passes through
Holmhead and crosses the
Rivanna River
The Rivanna River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the James River in central Virginia in the United States. The Rivanna's tributaries or ...
shortly before passing through the town of
Columbia, where the highway is named St. James Street. At the east end of the town, SR 6 enters Goochland County and briefly parallels the Rivanna Subdivision through the valley of the James River. The state highway veers away from the river and meets the northern end of
SR 45 (Cartersville Road) at
Georges Tavern. SR 6 approaches the river again just before arriving in
Goochland. At the north end of the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
, the state highway joins
US 522
U.S. Route 522 (US 522) is a spur route of US 22 in the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. The U.S. Highway travels in a north-south direction, and runs from US 60 near Powhatan, Virginia, to its northern terminus a ...
(Sandy Hook Road) in a concurrency and heads south past the Western Campus of
J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College
J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College is a public community college in Virginia with three campuses: Parham Road Campus in Henrico County, Downtown Campus in Richmond, and Goochland Campus in Goochland Courthouse, Virginia. Named for Lieutenan ...
. SR 6 and US 522 pass the county offices and the
Virginia Correctional Center for Women before US 522 heads south across the James River as Maidens Road. SR 6 heads through the villages of
Manakin and Sabot, between which SR 6 expands to a four-lane divided highway. At Richmond Country Club, River Road splits to the south and the state highway continues east as Patterson Avenue.
SR 6 meets the
SR 288 freeway at 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 ...
before crossing Tuckahoe Creek into suburban Henrico County. The state highway intersects Gaskins Road, which heads north as
SR 157, and Parham Road in the suburb of
Tuckahoe. At Glenside Drive, which leads north to
Monument Avenue
Monument Avenue is a tree-lined grassy mall dividing the eastbound and westbound traffic in Richmond, Virginia, originally named for its emblematic complex of structures honoring those who fought for the Confederacy during the American Civil War. ...
, SR 6 veers southeast and enters the city of Richmond. The state highway becomes an undivided highway just before intersecting
SR 197 (Malvern Avenue). SR 6 crosses over
Interstate 195 (Beltline Expressway), which is accessed via Thompson Street, which the state highway intersects as it shifts to two-lane Kensington Avenue. The state highway continues through the Museum District until it reaches its eastern terminus at SR 161 (Boulevard) one block north of the
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, or VMFA, is an art museum in Richmond, Virginia, United States, which opened in 1936. The museum is owned and operated by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Private donations, endowments, and funds are used for the su ...
.
Major intersections
References
External links
Virginia Highways Project: VA 6
{{S-end
006
State Route 006
State Route 006
State Route 006
State Route 006
State Route 006
State Route 006
006