State Route 61 (SR 61) 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 runs from SR 16 in Tazewell east to

U.S. Route 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 ...

(US 460) in

Narrows A narrows or narrow (used interchangeably but usually in the plural form), is a restricted land or water passage. Most commonly a narrows is a strait, though it can also be a water gap. A narrows may form where a stream passes through a tilted ...

. SR 61 passes through several narrow creek valleys as it parallels the

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

state line through Tazewell, Bland, and Giles counties. The only sizeable community between the highway's endpoints is Rocky Gap, where the highway meets

US 52 U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a major United States highway in the central United States that extends from the northern to southeastern region of the United States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S. Highways, US 52 primarily follows ...

and

Interstate 77 Interstate 77 (I-77) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the ...

(I-77).

Route description

SR 61 begins at an intersection with SR 16 in the North Tazewell neighborhood of the town of Tazewell. SR 16 continues west along Riverside Drive and south as Tazewell Avenue, which heads into the downtown area. SR 61 parallels the

Clinch River The Clinch River is a river that flows southwest for more than through the Great Appalachian Valley in the U.S. states of Virginia and Tennessee, gathering various tributaries, including the Powell River, before joining the Tennessee River in Ki ...

east through a four-ramp

partial cloverleaf interchange A partial cloverleaf interchange or parclo is a modification of a cloverleaf interchange. The design has been well received, and has since become one of the most popular freeway-to-arterial interchange designs in North America. It has also bee ...

with

US 19 U.S. Route 19 (US 19) is a north–south U.S. Highway in the Eastern United States. Despite encroaching Interstate Highways, the route has remained a long-haul road, connecting the Gulf of Mexico with Lake Erie. The highway's southern ...

and US 460 to the neighborhood of Fourway. There, SR 61 turns south, meets a

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...

rail line at grade, and crosses the North Folk Clinch River. Just south of the river, just east of the confluence of the North and South forks to form the main river, the state highway intersects US 19 Business and US 460 Business (Fincastle Turnpike). SR 61 leaves the town of Tazewell and curves to the east to follow the South Fork Clinch River through the Clinch Valley between Buckhorn Mountain to the north and Rich Mountain to the south. The state highway passes through the hamlet of Burtons Shop on its way to the source of the South Folk just west of the

Tennessee Valley Divide The Tennessee Valley Divide is the boundary of the drainage basin of the Tennessee River and its tributaries. The Tennessee River drainage basin begins with its tributaries in southwestern Virginia and flows generally west to the confluence of t ...

in the community of Gratton, where the highway intersects SR 623 (Burkes Garden Road), which leads over Rich Mountain to Burkes Garden. SR 61 continues east along Clear Fork through the community of Shawver Mill and enters Bland County. The state highway continues east as Clear Fork Creek Road, which passes through Cove Creek, Stowersville, and Clear Creek on the way to Rocky Gap. SR 61 has a short

concurrency Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

with US 52 (Scenic Highway), during the road briefly expands to a four-lane divided highway through 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 ...

with I-77. The two highways make a sharp turn north, then split in the center of the village where Clear Fork enters Wolf Creek. SR 61 continues east as Wolf Creek Road through the valley of Wolf Creek between Buckhorn Mountain to the north and Wolf Creek Mountain to the south. The highway passes through Round Bottom then enters Giles County. SR 61 passes through the tiny communities of Day, Phlegar, First Ford, Boxley, Chapel, Penvir, and Shumate on their way to Narrows. The state highway enters the town as Park Drive, crosses Wolf Creek, and continues as Monroe Street. North of its intersection with SR 100 (Main Street), SR 61 continues as McArthur Lane, which passes under a Norfolk Southern rail line and crosses over the New River and US 460 (Virginia Avenue). The state highway turns east onto Fleshman Street and turns south to reach its eastern terminus at an intersection with US 460.

Major intersections

References

External links

Virginia Highways Project: VA 61
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