State Route 251 (SR 251) 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 Collierstown Road, the state highway runs from SR 672 and SR 770 in Collierstown north to
U.S. Route 11 (US 11) and
US 11 Business in
Lexington.
Route description
SR 251 begins at an intersection with Turnpike Road, which heads east as SR 672 and west as SR 770, at Collierstown in a valley southwest of
House Mountain and east of North Mountain in western
Rockbridge County
Rockbridge County is a county in the Shenandoah Valley on the western edge of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,650. Its county seat is the city of Lexington. Rockbridge County completely surrounds the ...
. The state highway heads southeast as two-lane undivided Collierstown Road along Colliers Creek, which empties into Buffalo Creek. After following the latter creek, SR 251 has a winding ascent out of the stream valley. The state highway heads east into the
independent city
An independent city or independent town is a city or town that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity (such as a province).
Historical precursors
In the Holy Roman Empire, and to a degree in its successor states ...
of Lexington, where the highway's name changes to Thornhill Road. When Thornhill Road veers northeast toward downtown Lexington, SR 251 continues along Link Road the short remaining distance to its northern terminus at US 11 (Lee Highway) and US 11 Business (Main Street) southwest of downtown Lexington.
History
The road originally went through Alleghany County, starting at what is now
Virginia State Route 269
State Route 269 (SR 269) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known as Longdale Furnace Road, the state highway runs from Interstate 64 (I-64)/ U.S. Route 60 (US 60), and SR 42 near Nicelytown east to I-64/US 60 at Longd ...
(previously
U.S. Route 60) at Longdale Furnace. It used what is now SR 770 Turnpike Road to get to its current western end in Collerstown. This section was removed on or by May 1945, presumably due to the difficult drive around North Mountain. SR 770 to this day is impassable by certain large vehicles.
Major intersections
References
External links
Virginia Highways Project: VA 251
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251
State Route 251
State Route 251