State Route 166 (SR 166) 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

U.S. Route 17 U.S. Route 17 or U.S. Highway 17 (US 17), also known as the Coastal Highway, is a north–south United States Highway that spans in the southeastern United States. It runs close to the Atlantic Coast for much of its length, wit ...

(US 17) in

Chesapeake Chesapeake often refers to: *Chesapeake people, a Native American tribe also known as the Chesepian * The Chesapeake, a.k.a. Chesapeake Bay *Delmarva Peninsula, also known as the Chesapeake Peninsula Chesapeake may also refer to: Populated plac ...

north to

US 60 U.S. Route 60 is a major east–west United States highway, traveling from southwestern Arizona to the Atlantic Ocean coast in Virginia. The highway's eastern terminus is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where it is known as Pacific Avenue, in the ...

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

Route description

SR 166 begins at an intersection with US 17 (Dominion Boulevard) just north of the Dominion Boulevard Steel Bridge over the

Southern Branch Elizabeth River The Southern Branch Elizabeth River is a ,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 primarily tidal river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It flows from south to north t ...

in 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 Chesapeake. The state highway heads north as Bainbridge Boulevard, a two-lane undivided road that parallels the river through an industrial area. SR 166 passes under

Interstate 64 Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchange w ...

(I-64) with no access, meets the western end of SR 190 (Great Bridge Boulevard), and crosses Newton Creek. 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

US 13 U.S. Route 13 (US 13) is a north–south U.S. highway established in 1926 that runs for from Interstate 95 (I-95) just north of Fayetteville, North Carolina to US 1 in the northeastern suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Morrisville ...

and

US 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 ...

(Military Highway); within the interchange, SR 166 descends to pass under Military Highway and

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 ...

Norfolk District Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North ...

. SR 166 heads north

concurrent 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 460. The highways pass under I-464 and cross Milldam Creek, and continues north as a four-lane undivided highway into the

South Norfolk South Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in Long Stratton. The population of the Local Authority District was 124,012 as taken at the 2011 Census. History The district was formed on 1 April 197 ...

area of Chesapeake. SR 166 and US 460 pass under another Norfolk Southern rail line and meet SR 337 at the junction of Bainbridge Boulevard and Poindexter Street. SR 337 heads north on Bainbridge Boulevard and west on Poindexter Street toward an interchange with I-464 and the

Jordan Bridge The Jordan Bridge, officially named the South Norfolk Jordan Bridge, is a tolled highway fixed bridge which carries State Route 337 over the Southern Branch Elizabeth River between the City of Portsmouth into the City of Chesapeake in South ...

across the Southern Branch Elizabeth River to

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

; SR 166 and US 460 head northeast on two-lane Poindexter Avenue. At SR 246 (Liberty Street), the two highways turn west for one block before continuing northeast on four-lane 22nd Street, which crosses over the Norfolk District rail line and another rail line. SR 166 and US 460 veer onto two-lane Wilson Road at Berkley Street, where the road enters the city of Norfolk. SR 166 and US 460 expand 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 south of Indian River Road, north of which the highways meet SR 168 (Campostella Road) at an acute intersection that does not allow access from northbound SR 168 to southbound SR 166. SR 166, US 460, and SR 168 head north as a six-lane divided highway across the

Eastern Branch Elizabeth River The Eastern Branch Elizabeth River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 tidal river in the Hampton Roads area of the U.S. state of Virginia. The river flo ...

on the Campostella Bridge. The boulevard's name changes from Campostella Road to Brambleton Avenue at its partial cloverleaf interchange with

I-264 Interstate 264 is the designation for two Interstate Highways in the United States, both of which are related to Interstate 64: *Interstate 264 (Kentucky), a bypass of Louisville, Kentucky *Interstate 264 (Virginia) Interstate 264 (I-264) i ...

. There is no access from eastbound I-264 to northbound SR 166 or to westbound I-264 from either direction of SR 166. Just north of the interchange, the three highways pass under

Hampton Roads Transit Hampton Roads Transit (HRT), incorporated on October 1, 1999, began through the voluntary merger of PENTRAN ( Peninsula Transportation District Commission) on the Virginia Peninsula and TRT ( Tidewater Regional Transit a.k.a. Tidewater Transit ...

Tide Light Rail The Tide is a light rail line in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, owned and operated by Hampton Roads Transit (HRT). It connects Eastern Virginia Medical School, downtown Norfolk, Norfolk State University, and Newtown Road. Service began ...

next to the

NSU station NSU is a Tide Light Rail station in Norfolk, Virginia. It opened in August 2011 and is situated adjacent to Norfolk State University Norfolk State University (NSU) is a public historically black university in Norfolk, Virginia. It is a memb ...

and SR 166 turns northeast onto Park Avenue while US 460 and SR 168 continue northwest toward

Downtown Norfolk Downtown Norfolk serves as the traditional center of commerce, government, and culture in the Hampton Roads region. Norfolk, Virginia's downtown waterfront shipping and port activities historically played host to numerous and often noxious port and ...

. SR 166 follows the four-lane divided street along the western edge of the Norfolk State University campus and intersects US 58 (Virginia Beach Boulevard) before turning onto four-lane undivided Princess Anne Road, which heads west as SR 404. SR 168 has a grade crossing of Norfolk Southern's rail line to

Sewell's Point Sewells Point is a peninsula of land in the independent city of Norfolk, Virginia in the United States, located at the mouth of the salt-water port of Hampton Roads. Sewells Point is bordered by water on three sides, with Willoughby Bay to th ...

and expands to a divided highway as it passes along the northern edge of an industrial area, where the highway meets the southern end of SR 194 (Sewells Point Road). SR 166 follows Princess Anne Road to its eastern end at Military Highway, which is US 13 heading south and SR 165 heading north. The three highways continue east on six-lane Northampton Boulevard. At the next intersection, SR 165 splits south onto Kempsville Road. SR 166 and US 13 continue east across Lake Wright and meet I-64 (Hampton Roads Beltway) at a partial cloverleaf interchange. The interchange includes a flyover ramp from southbound SR 166 to eastbound I-64 but does not include ramps from northbound SR 166 to westbound I-64 or from eastbound I-64 to southbound SR 166; those movements are made via Military Highway to the north. SR 166 and US 13 enter the city of Virginia Beach at Wesleyan Drive, which leads south to

Virginia Wesleyan College Virginia Wesleyan University (VWU) is a private university in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The university is nonsectarian but historically affiliated with The United Methodist Church. It enrolls 1,607 students annually in undergraduate and graduate ...

. SR 166 diverges from US 13, which continues to the

Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Chesapeake often refers to: *Chesapeake people, a Native American tribe also known as the Chesepian * The Chesapeake, a.k.a. Chesapeake Bay *Delmarva Peninsula, also known as the Chesapeake Peninsula Chesapeake may also refer to: Populated plac ...

, onto Diamond Springs Road. The state highway follows that four-lane divided highway north between an industrial area and a residential area to its northern terminus at US 60 (Shore Drive) adjacent to

Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It includ ...

Major intersections

References

External links

Virginia Highways Project: VA 166
{{s-end 166 State Route 166 State Route 166 State Route 166