State Route 31 (SR 31) is a primary
state highway 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 ...
. The state highway runs from
U.S. Route 460 (US 460) in
Wakefield
Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...
north to
SR 5 and
SR 199 in
Williamsburg. SR 31 is the primary north–south highway of
Surry County, where the highway serves the towns of
Surry and
Dendron. The state highway also connects Williamsburg with
Jamestown. The sections of SR 31 on either side of the
James River are connected by the
Jamestown Ferry
The Jamestown Ferry (also known as the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry) is a free automobile and bus ferry service across a navigable portion of the James River in Virginia. It carries State Route 31, connecting Jamestown in James City County with Sc ...
.
Route description
SR 31 begins at an intersection with US 460 in the town of Wakefield in
Sussex County. The state highway heads east on Main Street, which continues west of US 460 as SR 628. At the eastern town limit, SR 31 veers north onto Birch Island Road. The state highway becomes Rolfe Highway when it enters Surry County right before the highway crosses the
Blackwater River
A blackwater river is a type of river with a slow-moving channel flowing through forested swamps or wetlands. As vegetation decays, tannins leach into the water, making a transparent, acidic water that is darkly stained, resembling black tea ...
. SR 31 heads northeast through town of Dendron and the hamlet of Elberon. The state highway
runs concurrently with
SR 10 (Colonial Trail) while passing through the town of Surry. North of Surry, SR 31 passes
Smith's Fort Plantation before reaching the
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
terminal of the Jamestown Ferry across the James River. The Jamestown Ferry is the only crossing of the James River between the
James River Bridge
The James River Bridge (JRB) is a four-lane divided highway lift bridge across the James River in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Owned and operated by the Virginia Department of Transportation, it carries U.S. Route 17 (US 17), US 258, ...
in
Newport News
Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the Uni ...
and the
Benjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge near
Hopewell.
SR 31 resumes at the Jamestown terminal of the ferry at
Glass House Point in
James City County
James City County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 78,254. Although politically separate from the county, the county seat is the adjacent independent city of Williamsburg.
Located ...
. The state highway, which heads northeast as Jamestown Road, passes
Jamestown Festival Park and has an intersection with
SR 359, a short connector between SR 31 and
Colonial Parkway
Colonial Parkway is a scenic parkway linking the three points of Virginia's Historic Triangle, Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. It is part of the National Park Service's Colonial National Historical Park. Virginia's official state cla ...
. SR 31 leaves Jamestown and crosses over Powhatan Creek and
Lake Powell
Lake Powell is an artificial reservoir on the Colorado River in Utah and Arizona, United States. It is a major vacation destination visited by approximately two million people every year. It is the second largest artificial reservoir by maximum ...
. The state highway passes through the suburban area surrounding Williamsburg before reaching its northern terminus at SR 199 (Humelsine Parkway) just inside the city limits. Jamestown Road continues northeast as SR 5 beyond SR 199; westbound SR 5 joins SR 199 in a short concurrency west toward
Richmond.
History
The first piece of the present SR 31 to exist as a state highway ran from
Williamsburg southwest to
Jamestown. It was a spur of
State Route 9 (roughly current
U.S. Route 60), and was present in the initial 1918 system. SR 9 was renumbered as
State Route 39 in the
1923 renumbering, and the Yorktown spur became State Route 392.
The
Jamestown-Scotland Ferry began operations February 26, 1925 from the Jamestown end of SR 392 to
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
across the
James River.
The road on the Scotland side was added to the state highway system from 1926 to 1931, at first as an extension of
State Route 351, but soon as part of SR 392. In the
1928 renumbering the route was renumbered State Route 510.
Capitol Landing Road from
Williamsburg to
Magruder was added to the state highway system in 1932 as State Route 542.
[ , page 6] Later that year, both SR 510 and SR 524 became State Route 31, connected by Francis Street in Williamsburg (
U.S. Route 60, formerly
State Route 39).
Major intersections
References
External links
Virginia Highways Project: VA 31
{{Authority control
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