U.S. Route 58 (US 58) is an east–west
U.S. Highway that runs for from
U.S. Route 25E just northwest of
Harrogate, Tennessee
Harrogate is the largest city in Claiborne County, Tennessee, United States. It is adjacent to Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.
The community has been known as "Harrogate" since the 19th century, but did not incorporate by that name un ...
, to
U.S. Route 60 in
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...
. Until 1996, when the
Cumberland Gap Tunnel
The Cumberland Gap Tunnel is a dual-bore, four lane vehicular tunnel that carries U.S. Route 25E under Cumberland Gap National Historical Park near the intersection of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. The tunnel consists of two separate bo ...
opened, US 58 ran only inside the commonwealth 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 ...
(and it now runs only about 1 mile outside of Virginia into Tennessee before terminating). It was then extended southwest along a short piece of former US 25E, which no longer enters Virginia, to end at the new alignment in Tennessee. For most of its alignment, it closely parallels Virginia's southern border with
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
.
State Route 383 (SR 383) is overlaid on U.S. Route 58 in Tennessee.
U.S. Route 58 is the longest
numbered route
A route (or road) number, designation or abbreviation is an identifying numeric (or alphanumeric) designation assigned by a highway authority to a particular stretch of roadway to distinguish it from other routes and, in many cases, also to indic ...
in Virginia.
Route description
Tennessee
US 58 begins at a
trumpet interchange
In the field of road transport, an interchange (American English) or a grade-separated junction (British English) is a road junction that uses grade separations to allow for the movement of traffic between two or more roadways or highways, usi ...
with
US 25E, just south of the
Cumberland Gap Tunnel
The Cumberland Gap Tunnel is a dual-bore, four lane vehicular tunnel that carries U.S. Route 25E under Cumberland Gap National Historical Park near the intersection of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. The tunnel consists of two separate bo ...
. The interchange is located on the border of the municipalities of
Cumberland Gap
The Cumberland Gap is a pass through the long ridge of the Cumberland Mountains, within the Appalachian Mountains, near the junction of the U.S. states of Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. It is famous in American colonial history for its r ...
and
Harrogate
Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa w ...
, within
Claiborne County. The route travels northeast as a four lane divided highway, through a small section of Cumberland Gap with a few businesses. US 58 then abruptly leaves Cumberland Gap and enters a small section of a rural area within Harrogate, passing along the southeastern edge of the
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
The Cumberland Gap National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located at the border between Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia, centered on the Cumberland Gap, a natural break in the Appalachian Mountains.
The park lies ...
. After intersecting a road leading to the park and the historical area in Cumberland Gap, the route leaves the state of
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
and enters the commonwealth 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 ...
, after only about a half mile in Tennessee.
US 58 in Tennessee carries the designation State Route 383.
Virginia
Tennessee to Jonesville
Upon entering Virginia, US 58 also enters
Lee County and becomes Wilderness Road. The divided highway makes a reverse turn heading generally towards the east, in a forested region, before turning east-northeast after to the south of the Wilderness Road entrance to the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. US 58 crosses over Station Creek, before curving due east through the hamlet of
Gibson Station
Gibson is a station on the Long Island Rail Road's Far Rockaway Branch in the Gibson section of Valley Stream, in Nassau County, New York. The station is at Gibson Boulevard and Munro Boulevard, south of Sunrise Highway, and is 18.6 miles (29. ...
. Past Gibson Station, the highway passes northeast through an area of a rolling hills with homes surrounding either side of the road. It is paralleled by Indian Creek on its southeast side, with the route crossing over its Pendleton Branch, prior to intersecting
SR 691 in the village of
Wheeler. US 58 continues northeast from Wheeler, before turning due east again while passing along the southern edge of the
Wilderness Road State Park. The route crosses Indian Creek twice, before intersecting
SR 684 to the southwest of a park and ride lot, and the DeBusk Veterinary Teaching Center of
Lincoln Memorial University
Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) is a private university in Harrogate, Tennessee. LMU's campus borders on Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. As of fall 2019, it had 1,975 undergraduate and 2,892 graduate and professional students.
LMU ...
. The route then dips south through more rural areas of rolling hills, residences, and farmland before turning northeast once more. After passing through some hill cuts with stone sides and crossing over the Roaring Branch of Indian Creek, US 58 reaches the unincorporated town of
Ewing. At Ewing, the route reaches its first intersection with a gantry, as its intersection with
SR 724 has a blinking yellow light above it. US 58 continues northeast through more rural forests and farmland along the southeastern slope of Poor Valley Ridge, before reaching the unincorporated town of
Rose Hill. In Rose Hill, more businesses and houses appear along the edges of the road, and a
jersey barrier
A Jersey barrier, Jersey wall, or Jersey bump is a modular concrete or plastic barrier employed to separate lanes of traffic. It is designed to minimize vehicle damage in cases of incidental contact while still preventing vehicle crossovers resu ...
briefly forms in the median before the road crosses over the White Branch of the
Powell River. Beyond the crossing, the median reverts to a grassy surface as US 58 leaves Rose Hill. The route continues to pass more homes, mainly in the traditional style, and businesses, mainly those that are timber shed retailers, before it makes a brief turn to the due east. Here US 58 crosses over Burning Well Road, Hardy Creek, and the railroad line of
CSX Transportation (former
L&N) leading to the Hagan's Switchback, on a twin-span beam bridge. The route then turns back towards the northeast and crosses the Hugh C. Chance Memorial Bridge. US 58 then makes a curve to the southeast through hilly wooded areas, before crossing over Dry Creek and meeting State Routes
880
__NOTOC__
Year 880 (Roman numerals, DCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* Battle of Cephalonia: A Byzantine Empire, Byzantine flee ...
and
758 at an intersection. The latter road provides access to the
Lee County Airport. Past the intersection, US 58 briefly gains an eastbound climbing lane, before narrowing back to two lanes in each direction. The route continues east before heading northeast through wooded residential areas. Soon US 58 narrows to a two-lane rural road heading east through hilly residential zones entering the town limits of
Jonesville, the county seat of Lee County.
Jonesville to Virginia Beach
East of Jonesville, US 58 intersects
US 421
U.S. Route 421 (also U.S. Highway 421, US 421) is a diagonal northwest–southeast United States Numbered Highway in the states of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana. The highway runs for from Fort Fisher, North Caro ...
, and the two routes stay concurrent through
Duffield (where the concurrency also picks up
U.S. 23
}
U.S. Route 23 or U.S. Highway 23 (US 23) is a major north–south U.S. Highway between Jacksonville, Florida, and Mackinaw City, Michigan. It is an original 1926 route which originally reached only as far south as Portsmouth, Ohio, and has sinc ...
),
Gate City,
Weber City (where the US 23 concurrency ends), and
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, where US 58 begins a concurrency with
Interstate 81
Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Isla ...
. The two routes stay concurrent until I-81 exit 19 in
Abingdon, where US 58 resumes its eastward journey close to the Virginia–North Carolina state line. The route is signed as the
J.E.B. Stuart
James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart (February 6, 1833May 12, 1864) was a United States Army officer from Virginia who became a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb,” from the initials of ...
Highway and the
A. L. Philpott Memorial Highway. Much of the highway through the region features
hairpin turns
A hairpin turn (also hairpin bend or hairpin corner) is a bend in a road with a very acute inner angle, making it necessary for an oncoming vehicle to turn about 180° to continue on the road. It is named for its resemblance to a bent metal hai ...
, steep grades, and load-zoned bridges.
US 58 begins a concurrency with
US 221
U.S. Route 221 (US 221) is a spur of U.S. Route 21. It travels from Perry, Florida, at US 19/ US 98/ US 27 Alternate to Lynchburg, Virginia, at US 29 Business ( Lynchburg Expressway). It travels through the stat ...
in
Independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
, and the routes stay merged through
Hillsville, just past the interchange with
Interstate 77. Continuing eastward, the route crosses the
Blue Ridge Parkway
The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. The parkway, which is America's longest linear park, runs for through 29 Virginia and North Carolina counties, linking Shenan ...
in the unincorporated community of
Meadows of Dan before winding its way to
Martinsville, where US 58 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 ...
share a southern bypass of the city. Between Stuart and the Martinsville bypass, several loops are found following the original alignment. East of Martinsville, a loop between Byrd's Store and
Axton Axton may refer to:
* Axton, Virginia, an uninc ...
follows the original alignment, although one section west of Byrd's Store and one section east of Chatmoss remain inaccessible. Between Martinsville and Danville and between Danville and South Boston the route was widened to four lanes as part of the Arterial Highway system initiated by the Commonwealth in the mid 1960s. A newer alignment was generally just added to the older alignment. A loop of the older alignment is visible east of Brosville.
Approaching
Danville, US 58 once again follows an expressway bypass to the south of the city, while a business route enters the city itself. The southeastern half of this bypass is shared with
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 ...
. East of Danville, US 29 continues north, while US 58 picks up
US 360
U.S. Route 360 (US 360) is a spur route of US 60. The U.S. Highway runs entirely within the state of Virginia from US 58 Business, Virginia State Route 293 (SR 293), and SR 360 in Danville east to SR 644 in Reedville. US 360 connects Danvill ...
(which begins in central Danville) and resumes its eastward journey. The routes stay cosigned until
South Boston
South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. South Boston, colloquially known as Southie, has undergone several demographic transformat ...
, where US 360 resumes a more northerly route to
Richmond, while US 58 travels eastward to
Clarksville and crosses
Kerr Lake
Kerr Lake /kɑr/ (officially John H. Kerr Reservoir, also known as Bugg's Island Lake) is a reservoir along the border of the U.S. states of North Carolina and Virginia. It is impounded by the John H. Kerr Dam, constructed between 1947 and 1952 ...
.
The route crosses
US Route 1
U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making ...
and
Interstate 85
Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia, ...
in
South Hill, followed by
Interstate 95 in
Emporia. Near
Franklin, an expressway bypass carries US 58 (and, for one stretch,
US 258
U.S. Route 258 (US 258) is a spur of US 58 in the U.S. states of North Carolina and Virginia. The U.S. Highway runs from US 17 Business and NC 24 Business in Jacksonville, North Carolina north to Virginia State Route 143 (SR 143) at Fort M ...
) south of the city, while a business route enters the city. A bypass also carries traffic around
Suffolk, where US 58 begins concurrencies with
US 13
U.S. Route 13 (US 13) is a north–south U.S. highway established in 1926 that runs for from Interstate 95 (I-95) just north of Fayetteville, North Carolina to US 1 in the northeastern suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Morrisville ...
and then
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 ...
. The three US routes stay merged until an intersection with the
Hampton Roads Beltway
The Hampton Roads Beltway is a loop of Interstate 64 and Interstate 664, which links the communities of the Virginia Peninsula and South Hampton Roads which surround the body of water known as Hampton Roads and comprise much of the region of the ...
at the confluence of
Interstate 64
Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchang ...
,
Interstate 264, and
Interstate 664
Interstate 664 (I-664) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US state of Virginia. The Interstate runs from I-64 and I-264 in Chesapeake north to I-64 in Hampton. I-664 forms the west side of the Hampton Roads Beltway, a circumferen ...
. US 58 travels inside the beltway and through
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
and into
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
via the Midtown Tunnel. The route crosses I-64 once again, and continues to
Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...
, roughly paralleling I-264 to its south. US 58, designated as Virginia Beach Boulevard and becoming Laskin Rd. in Virginia Beach, ends at
US 60
U.S. Route 60 is a major east–west United States highway, traveling from southwestern Arizona to the Atlantic Ocean coast in Virginia.
The highway's eastern terminus is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where it is known as Pacific Avenue, in the ...
, Pacific Ave. Historically, US 58 continued for one additional block to the east, ending at Atlantic Ave., which once carried US 60 and then Business US 60.
Much of the western section of US 58 is part of
Crooked Road, Virginia and
The Crooked Road: Virginia's Heritage Music Trail.
Alternate route
An
alternate route
An official alternate route is a special route in the United States that provides an alternate alignment for a highway. They are loop roads and found in many road systems in the United States including the U.S. Highway system and various state a ...
of US 58, known as U.S. Route 58 Alternate (US 58 Alt.), splits from the main route in
Abingdon, Virginia
Abingdon is a town in Washington County, Virginia, United States, southwest of Roanoke. The population was 8,376 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Washington County. The town encompasses several historically significant sites and f ...
and travels northwest (signed west) as the "Trail of the Lonesome Pine" to
Coeburn. From there, US 58 Alt. travels in a southwesterly direction (signed west) through
Norton Norton may refer to:
Places
Norton, meaning 'north settlement' in Old English, is a common place name. Places named Norton include: Canada
* Rural Municipality of Norton No. 69, Saskatchewan
*Norton Parish, New Brunswick
**Norton, New Brunswick, a ...
,
Big Stone Gap
Big Stone Gap is a town in Wise County, Virginia, United States. The town was economically centered around the coal industry for much of its early development. The population was 5,643 at the 2010 census.
History
The community was formerly kno ...
and
Pennington Gap before rejoining the main route in
Jonesville.
History
The corridor across southern Virginia was part of the initial 1918 state highway system, in which it was State Route 12. It generally followed the present U.S. 58 from
Abingdon to
Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...
, while present US 58 west of Abingdon was part of
State Route 10
Route 10, or Highway 10, can refer to routes in the following countries:
International
* European route E10
* European route E010
Argentina
* La Pampa Provincial Route 10
Australia Queensland
* Smith Street Motorway (Queensland)
* Scenic H ...
. These routes deviated from present US 58 in the following places:
*SR 10 left Virginia into
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
at
Cumberland Gap
The Cumberland Gap is a pass through the long ridge of the Cumberland Mountains, within the Appalachian Mountains, near the junction of the U.S. states of Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. It is famous in American colonial history for its r ...
; the piece of current US 58 into Tennessee was (in general terms)
State Route 107 from 1923 to 1928 and
State Route 100 from 1928 to 1933 (as well as
U.S. Route 25E from 1926 to 1996).
*SR 10 used present
U.S. Route 58 Alternate
U.S. Route 58 Alternate (US 58 Alt.) is a alternate route to US 58 in western Virginia. The route is a northern bypass to US 58 which stays closer to the Tennessee border and serves Gate City and Bristol.
Route description Jonesville to Norto ...
from
Jonesville to
Pennington Gap and
U.S. 421
U.S. Route 421 (also U.S. Highway 421, US 421) is a diagonal northwest–southeast United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway in the states of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana. The highway ...
southeast back to U.S. 58.
*SR 10 used present
State Route 638 and
State Route 600 from near
Pattonsville to
Clinchport.
*SR 10 used present
U.S. 421
U.S. Route 421 (also U.S. Highway 421, US 421) is a diagonal northwest–southeast United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway in the states of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana. The highway ...
and
U.S. Route 11 through
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
to
Abingdon. From Abingdon to
Meadowview, where SR 12 began, SR 10 used present
State Route 609.
*SR 12 used present
State Route 80 and
State Route 803 from Meadowview to
Lodi and roughly present
State Route 91 to
Damascus.
*From
Danville to
Boydton, SR 12 used present
State Route 360 to near
Scottsburg,
U.S. Route 360
U.S. Route 360 (US 360) is a spur route of US 60. The U.S. Highway runs entirely within the state of Virginia from US 58 Business, Virginia State Route 293 (SR 293), and SR 360 in Danville east to SR 644 in Reedville. US 360 connects Danvill ...
to
Clover
Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus ...
, and
State Route 92 to Boydton. Present US 58 was
State Route 44 (formed ca. 1930) from Danville to
Clarksville, and from Clarksville to Boydton it was initially part of
State Route 1, renumbered
State Route 31 in the
1923 renumbering, State Route 324 from soon after 1923 to 1927, part of
State Route 201 from 1927 to 1928,
[ , page 14] and State Route 400 from 1928 to 1933.
*From
Suffolk to
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
, SR 12 used present
State Route 337.
Major intersections
See also
*
Virginia Beach Boulevard
Virginia Beach Boulevard is a major connector highway which carries U.S. Route 58 most of its length and extends from the downtown area of Norfolk to the Oceanfront area of Virginia Beach, passing through the newly developed New Urbanist Town Ce ...
Related U.S. Routes
*
U.S. Route 158
U.S. Route 158 (US 158) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from Mocksville to Whalebone Junction in Nags Head, entirely in the state of North Carolina. It is also a critical route that connects the cities of Winston- ...
*
U.S. Route 258
*
Special routes of U.S. Route 58
References
External links
Virginia Highways Project: US 58
{{DEFAULTSORT:58
U.S. Highways in Virginia
U.S. Highways in Tennessee
Galax, Virginia
Transportation in Claiborne County, Tennessee
U.S. Route 058
U.S. Route 058
U.S. Route 058
U.S. Route 058
U.S. Route 058
U.S. Route 058
U.S. Route 058
U.S. Route 058
U.S. Route 058
U.S. Route 058
U.S. Route 058
U.S. Route 058
U.S. Route 058
U.S. Route 058
U.S. Route 058
U.S. Route 058
U.S. Route 058
U.S. Route 058
U.S. Route 058
U.S. Route 058
U.S. Route 058
U.S. Route 058
U.S. Route 058
United States Numbered Highway System