State Route 90 (SR 90) 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 as Main Street, the state highway runs from SR 616 and SR 749 north to

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 Island ...

(I-81) within Rural Retreat in western

Wythe County Wythe County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,290. Its county seat is Wytheville. History Wythe County was formed from Montgomery County in 1790. It wa ...

. SR 90 connects Rural Retreat with I-81 and

U.S. Route 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 ...

(US 11).

Route description

SR 90's southern terminus is at the center of the town of Rural Retreat at the intersection of Main Street and Baumgardner Avenue. Main Street continues south as SR 749 and Baumgardner Avenue is SR 616 in both directions. The state highway heads north and has a grade 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 ...

Pulaski District Pulaski may refer to: Places * Pulaski Heights, a section of the city of Little Rock, Arkansas * Pulaski Shoal, an underwater landform west of the Florida Keys * Pulaski, Georgia, a town * Pulaski Square, one of the "Squares of Savannah" in th ...

. SR 90 leaves the town limits and intersects US 11 (Lee Highway) at Staley Crossroads. The state highway continues to its northern terminus at the southbound ramps of its

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-81. The roadway continues north as SR 680 (Blacklick Road).

History

From about 1946 to 1952, this route ran from

U.S. Route 21 U.S. Route 21 or U.S. Highway 21 (US 21) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway in the Southeastern United States that travels . The southern terminus is in Hunting Island State Park, South Carolina, south of the ...

in Speedwell, down what is now SR 749 into Rural Retreat, then down what is now SR 680, Blacklick Road, to

U.S. Route 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 ...

in Favonia, although the portion in between what is now U.S. 11 and I-81 was not part of the road until 1980. This routing also briefly took the road through

Smyth County Smyth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,800. Its county seat is Marion. History Smyth County was formed on February 23, 1832, from Washington and Wythe counties. The county ...

, and may explain why it is still signed as an east-west route even though it currently runs fully north-south.

Major intersections

References

External links

{{Attached KML, display=title,inline
Virginia Highways Project: VA 90
090 State Route 090