State Route 86 (SR 86) is a

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 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, where the highway continues south as

North Carolina Highway 86 North Carolina Highway 86 (NC 86) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina that runs north and south through Orange and Caswell Counties from Chapel Hill to the Virginia state line at Danville, Virginia. The highw ...

(NC 86) to U.S. Route 29 Business (US 29 Bus.) and SR 413. The entire route is contained within 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 Danville.

Route description

SR 86 begins at the North Carolina state line, which also serves as the southern limit of the

of Danville. The road continues south as NC 86 toward

Yanceyville Yanceyville is a town in and the county seat of Caswell County, North Carolina, United States. Located in the Piedmont Triad region of the state, the town had a population of 1,937 at the 2020 census. The settlement was founded in 1792 and was l ...

and

Chapel Hill Chapel Hill or Chapelhill may refer to: Places Antarctica * Chapel Hill (Antarctica) Australia *Chapel Hill, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane *Chapel Hill, South Australia, in the Mount Barker council area Canada * Chapel Hill, Ottawa, a neighbo ...

. SR 86 heads north as South Main Street, which expands from two lanes to a four-lane

divided highway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...

just north of the border and has 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 the Danville Expressway, which carries US 29 and US 58 around the south side of the city. North of College Park Drive, the state highway becomes a five-lane road with a

center left-turn lane A reversible lane (British English: tidal flow) is a lane in which traffic may travel in either direction, depending on certain conditions. Typically, it is meant to improve traffic flow during rush hours, by having overhead traffic lights and li ...

and passes

Danville Community College Danville Community College (DCC) is one of the twenty-three two-year colleges in the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). It is located in Danville, Virginia. Unlike many of the other VCCS schools, it predates the formation of a statewide ...

. At its crossing of

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 ...

Danville District Danville or Dansville may refer to: ;Canada *Danville, Quebec ;United States *Danville, Alabama *Danville, Arkansas *Danville, California *Danville, Georgia *Danville, Illinois *Danville, Indiana *Danville, Iowa *Danville, Kansas *Danville, Kentuc ...

, SR 86 expands to a divided highway and its name changes to Central Boulevard. The state highway has a

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 SR 293 (West Main Street) next to

Danville Regional Medical Center Danville or Dansville may refer to: ;Canada *Danville, Quebec ;United States * Danville, Alabama * Danville, Arkansas *Danville, California * Danville, Georgia *Danville, Illinois *Danville, Indiana * Danville, Iowa * Danville, Kansas * Danville, ...

before reaching a

cloverleaf interchange A cloverleaf interchange is a two-level interchange in which all turns are handled by slip roads. To go left (in right-hand traffic; reverse directions in left-driving regions), vehicles first continue as one road passes over or under the ...

with US 29 Business and SR 413 just south of the

Dan River The Dan River flows in the U.S. states of North Carolina and Virginia. It rises in Patrick County, Virginia, and crosses the state border into Stokes County, North Carolina. It then flows into Rockingham County. From there it flows back int ...

. Memorial Drive heads west as US 29 Bus. toward

Greensboro Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...

and east as SR 413 toward downtown Danville. US 29 Bus. continues north as Central Boulevard across the

. Though official documents show SR 86 ending at the Memorial Drive interchange, signage exists along a segment of Central Boulevard and intersecting roads showing Central Boulevard as a part of SR 86. On Memorial Drive, the road to the north is signed as SR 86, signs at the Riverside Drive ( US 58 Bus.) and Piedmont Drive interchanges show the road to the south as SR 86, and an "End North SR 86" sign is posted at Central Boulevard's end at Piney Forest Road.

Major intersections

References

External links

Virginia Highways Project: VA 86
{{end box 086 State Route 086