State Route 43 (SR 43) 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 consists of two disjoint segments that have a total length of . The southern portion of the state highway runs from
U.S. Route 29 Business (US 29 Bus.) in
Altavista
AltaVista was a Web search engine established in 1995. It became one of the most-used early search engines, but lost ground to Google and was purchased by Yahoo! in 2003, which retained the brand, but based all AltaVista searches on its own sear ...
north to 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 ...
at
Peaks of Otter. The northern segment has a length of between the Blue Ridge Parkway near
Buchanan 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 ...
in
Eagle Rock. The two sections of SR 43 are connected by of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The southern portion of the state highway connects Altavista with
Bedford
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...
and Peaks of Otter. The northern section of SR 43 follows the
James River through a narrow valley (Narrow Passage Road) between Buchanan and Eagle Rock.
SR 43 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 Virgini ...
except south of the
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 ...
bypass of Altavista.
Route description
SR 43 has two disjoint sections. SR 43 begins at an intersection with US 29 Business (Main Street) in the town of Altavista. The terminus is just north of 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 Ap ...
, which forms the boundary between
Campbell Campbell may refer to:
People Surname
* Campbell (surname), includes a list of people with surname Campbell
Given name
* Campbell Brown (footballer), an Australian rules footballer
* Campbell Brown (journalist) (born 1968), American television ne ...
and
Pittsylvania counties. The junction is also adjacent to the crossing of
Norfolk Southern Railway's Altavista and Danville district rail lines. SR 43 heads northwest as Bedford Avenue to the town limit at the highway's
diamond interchange
A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a controlled-access highway crosses a minor road.
Design
The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge. Approaching the ...
with US 29 (Wards Road). The state highway continues north as Bedford Highway toward
Lynch Station, where the highway curves to the southwest to parallel the north bank of the Roanoke River. At
Leesville, a short distance north of the impoundment of the river to form
Leesville Lake, SR 43 begins to follow Goose Creek and enters
Bedford County.
The state highway, now named Leesville Road, veers northwest and intersects SR 626 (Smith Mountain Lake Parkway) and SR 628 (Mentow Drive) in the hamlet of Mentow. SR 628 is also known as Bishop Creek Road, which provides a shorter, parallel route to SR 43 between Lynch Station and Mentow.
In the hamlet of Gillespie, SR 43 intersects SR 24 (Wyatts Way); the two highways head west
concurrently as Glenwood Drive. West of Gillespie, SR 24 continues west as Shingle Block Road and SR 43 heads north along Virginia Byway toward Bedford, where the highway becomes South Street. Just after entering the
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
, the state highway crosses over
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 ...
and
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 ...
with no access. Just south of downtown, SR 43 splits into a pair of two-way street: northbound follows Talbott Street and Otey Street to Main Street while southbound follows South Street, which is one-way southbound for one block immediately south of Main Street. SR 43 turns west onto Main Street and has a very short concurrency with
US 460 Bus. Two blocks to the west, SR 43 turns north onto Bridge Street, where the highway runs together with
US 221 Bus. (signed as US 221) and
SR 122 Bus. across Norfolk Southern's Blue Ridge District. North of the railroad bridge, SR 43 turns west onto Peak Street; US 221 Bus. and SR 122 Bus. heads northeast on Longwood Avenue.
SR 43 exits the town of Bedford on Peaks Road, which crosses the
Otter River on its way to Blue Ridge Mountain. The state highway enters
Jefferson National Forest
The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests is an administrative entity combining two U.S. National Forests into one of the largest areas of public land in the Eastern United States. The forests cover of land in the Appalachian Mountai ...
and ascends the mountain among the Peaks of Otter. The southern section of SR 43 reaches its northern terminus at the Blue Ridge Parkway adjacent to the Peaks of Otter Visitor Center.
The Blue Ridge Parkway heads northwest to Bearwallow Gap, where the northern section of SR 43 begins at an interchange. The state highway, which is named Parkway Drive, enters
Botetourt County
Botetourt County ( ) is a US county that lies in the Roanoke Region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Located in the mountainous portion of the state, the county is bordered by two major ranges, the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Mou ...
and descends Cove Mountain to the town of Buchanan. SR 43 turns onto Main Street and has a short concurrency with
US 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 ...
to cross the
James River. On the north side of the river, the state highway turns west onto First Street and leaves the town as Narrow Passage Road, which re-enters the national forest. SR 43 passes under
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 ...
with no access and parallels the river past
James River High School and the community of
Springwood. Narrow Passage Road then continues on to the town of Eagle Rock, where the highway is known as Second Street and passes through a water gap between Rathole Mountain and Crawford Mountain. The state highway follows the river north a short distance to its northern terminus at US 220 (Botetourt Road).
Major intersections
References
External links
Virginia Highways Project: VA 43
{{end box
043
State Route 043
State Route 043
State Route 043
State Route 043
043