State Route 91 (SR 91) 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 the
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
state line near
Damascus
)), is an adjective which means "spacious".
, motto =
, image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg
, image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg
, seal_type = Seal
, map_caption =
, ...
, where the highway continues as
Tennessee State Route 91
State Route 91 (SR 91) is a state highway in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Tennessee, in the area known as the Tri-Cities region. The route connects Johnson City with Damascus, Virginia via Elizabethton, Hunter, and Mountai ...
(SR 91), north to
U.S. Route 19 Business (US 19 Business) and
US 460 Business at
Frog Level. SR 91 connects Damascus in southeastern
Washington County with the northeastern county town
Glade Spring
Glade Spring is a town in Washington County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,456 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kingsport– Bristol (TN)– Bristol (VA) Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Jo ...
, where the highway has junctions 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 ...
and
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). The state highway also indirectly connects
Saltville
Saltville is a town in Smyth and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 2,077 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kingsport– Bristol (TN)– Bristol (VA) Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a compon ...
in northwestern
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
Tazewell, 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
Tazewell County. SR 91 is the only primary state highway in Virginia with an unpaved section; this gravel section is in southern Tazewell County.
Route description
SR 91 begins at the Tennessee state line southeast of Damascus. The highway continues south into Tennessee as
SR 91 toward
Mountain City. SR 91 heads northwest as Mountain City Road, which parallels Laurel Creek through the
Iron Mountains
The Iron Mountains are a mountain range, subrange of the Blue Ridge Mountains. These mountains are located around the common meeting point of Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina.
A portion of the Appalachian Trail runs the crest of the Iron ...
to the creek's confluence with Whitetop Laurel Creek. Just west of that confluence, the state highway crosses Laurel Creek, intersects the
Virginia Creeper Trail
The Virginia Creeper Trail is a multi-purpose rail trail. Located in southwestern Virginia, the trail runs from Abingdon to Whitetop, Virginia, near Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and the North Carolina state line.
The trail accommodate ...
rail trail
A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...
, and
runs concurrently with US 58 (Jeb Stuart Highway) parallel to the creek and trail into the town of Damascus. When US 58 turns west to cross Laurel Creek into the center of town, SR 91 continues north and then west on Damascus Drive. The state highway veers north away from Laurel Creek and leaves the town as Monroe Road, which passes through the village of
Lodi between crossings of the South Fork and Middle Fork of the
Holston River
The Holston River is a river that flows from Kingsport, Tennessee, to Knoxville, Tennessee. Along with its three major forks (North Fork, Middle Fork and South Fork), it comprises a major river system that drains much of northeastern Tennessee ...
.
Just south of Glade Spring, SR 91 intersects US 11 (Lee Highway) and continues north as Maple Street 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-81 and into the town. When Maple Street continues straight as
SR 91 Business, SR 91 veers east as Monte Vista Drive to bypass the downtown area. The state highway receives the northern end of the business route, Glade Street, east of downtown. SR 91 crosses over
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 ...
's
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 ...
and exits the town on Crescent Road, which passes through McCall Gap in Walker Mountain. Shortly after entering the town of Saltville, where the highway is named Main Street, the highway veers east and crosses the Washington–Smyth county line. At the east end of the downtown area, SR 91 meets the northern end of
SR 107 (Worthy Boulevard). The state highway crosses the North Fork Holston River and parallels it east as Saltville Highway to the hamlet of
Broadford, where the highway meets the southern end of
SR 42 (Blue Grass Trail) and turns north to follow Laurel Creek through Brushy Mountain.
SR 91 continues northeast as Veterans Road into Tazewell County. The state highway briefly follows Laurel Creek through the Freestone Valley before ascending Flattop Mountain near
Tannersville. At the end of its descent from the mountain, SR 91 meets the western end of SR 607 (Little Tumbling Creek Road) and crosses the eponymous creek. Just north of the bridge, the state highway's surface changes from asphalt to gravel. The gravel road continues for about on the state highway's crossing of
Clinch Mountain
Clinch Mountain is a mountain ridge in the U.S. states of Tennessee and Virginia, lying in the ridge-and-valley section of the Appalachian Mountains. From its southern terminus at Kitts Point, which lies at the intersection of Knox, Union and G ...
.
SR 91 returns to asphalt road just south of its intersection with SR 604 (Thompson Valley Road), from which the highway follows Maiden Spring Road. At the hamlet of Maiden Spring, the state highway crosses the
Little River
Little River may refer to several places:
Australia Streams New South Wales
*Little River (Dubbo), source in the Dubbo region, a tributary of the Macquarie River
*Little River (Oberon), source in the Oberon Shire, a tributary of Coxs River (Hawk ...
, a tributary of 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 ...
, and veers east to the hamlet of
Liberty
Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom.
In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...
. SR 91 continues east as Witten Valley Road through the namesake valley to its northern terminus at US 19 Business and US 460 Business (Crab Orchard Road) at Frog Level.
Major intersections
Glade Spring business route
State Route 91 Business (SR 91 Business) is a business route of SR 91 within the town of Glade Spring. The highway runs between intersections with SR 91 on the south and east sides of the town. SR 91 Business heads north on Maple Street where SR 91 curves east to bypass the center of town on Monte Vista Drive. One block south of the railroad tracks, the business route turns east onto Glade Street, which the highway follows through Glade Spring's downtown area. At the east edge of downtown, SR 91 Business veers southeast to reach its northern terminus at SR 91.
References
External links
Virginia Highways Project: VA 91
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State Route 091
State Route 091
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