State Route 46 (SR 46) 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 ...

. The state highway begins at the

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 So ...

state line near

Valentines Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, thro ...

, where the highway continues as North Carolina Highway 46 (NC 46). SR 46 runs north from the state line to SR 40 in Blackstone. The state highway serves as the main north–south highway of Brunswick County, where it intersects U.S. Route 58 (US 58) in Lawrenceville and both

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, n ...

(I-85) and

US 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 i ...

near

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

. All of SR 46 in Brunswick County 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 ...

Route description

SR 46 begins at the North Carolina state line south of the community of Valentines. The roadway continues southeast as NC 46 toward

Gaston Gaston is a masculine given name of French origin and a surname. The name "Gaston" may refer to: People First name *Gaston I, Count of Foix (1287–1315) *Gaston II, Count of Foix (1308–1343) *Gaston III, Count of Foix (1331–1391) *Gaston ...

. The Virginia state highway heads north as Christanna Highway through southern Brunswick County, where the highway passes through Valentines and Brunswick. SR 46 passes to the east of the remains of

Fort Christanna Fort Christanna was one of the projects of Lt. Governor Alexander Spotswood, who was governor of the Virginia Colony 1710–1722. When Fort Christanna opened in 1714, Capt. Robert Hicks was named captain of the fort and he relocated his family ...

before crossing the

Meherrin River The Meherrin River is a long 6th order tributary to the Chowan River that joins in Hertford County, North Carolina. A twenty-foot-high dam on the river creates a reservoir in Emporia. For most of its length, the Meherrin is not large enough f ...

. The state highway meets US 58 (Governor Harrison Parkway) at a

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 ...

and begins to run concurrently with US 58 Business. The two highways enter 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 ...

of Lawrenceville on Hicks Street. After passing over a rail line, SR 46 and US 58 Business turn east onto Meredith Street, then north onto Main Street. The highways separate when SR 46 turns west onto Church Street. The state highway veers northwest onto Windsor Street while passing along the edge of St. Paul's College. SR 46's name again becomes Christanna Highway as it heads northwest toward the hamlet of Cochran west of Alberta. In Cochran, the state highway intersects US 1 (Boydton Plank Road) adjacent to the Christanna campus of

Southside Virginia Community College Southside Virginia Community College (SVCC) is a public community college with two campuses in Virginia, one near Alberta in Brunswick County, and the John H. Daniel Campus, just outside Keysville in Charlotte County. It is part of the Virgin ...

and has a partial interchange with I-85 that allows access in the direction of South Hill. Access to northbound I-85 toward Petersburg is provided via US 1. SR 46 continues northwest to the village of Danieltown, where the highway meets the eastern end of SR 137 (Danieltown Road). SR 46 enters

Nottoway County Nottoway County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,642. Its county seat is Nottoway. It is situated south of the James River, thus making it a part of the Southside Virginia Regio ...

when it crosses the

Nottoway River The Nottoway River is a river in the U.S. state, U.S. State of Virginia and northeastern North Carolina that is 155 miles (249 kilometers) in length. The river begins in Prince Edward County, Virginia, Prince Edward County and merges with the Bla ...

on the Kennedy Bridge just east of the Nottoway Reservoir. The state highway, now known as Brunswick Road, passes through the southwestern portion of

Fort Pickett Fort Pickett is a Virginia Army National Guard installation, located near the town of Blackstone, Virginia. Home of the Army National Guard Maneuver Training Center, Fort Pickett is named for the United States Army officer and Confederate Gen ...

before reaching its northern terminus at SR 40 (Kenbridge Road) just south of the town of Blackstone.

Major intersections

VA 46 Truck

Virginia State Truck Route 46 in

Lawrenceville, Virginia Lawrenceville is a town in Brunswick County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,438 at the 2010 census. Located by the Meherrin River, it is the county seat of Brunswick County. In colonial times, Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotswoo ...

is overlapped by

US 58 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, to U.S. Route 60 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Until 1996, when the Cumberland Gap Tunnel opened, US 58 ran only ...

, also known as the Governor Harrison Parkway between the Hicks Street and Lawrenceville Plank Road interchanges. From there, it follows US 58 Bus into downtown to rejoin mainline SR 46.

References

External links

Virginia Highways Project: VA 46
{{end box 046 State Route 046 State Route 046 046