U.S. Route 250 (US 250) is a route of the United States Numbered Highway System, and is a spur of

U.S. Route 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlanti ...

. It currently runs for from

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

Sandusky, Ohio Sandusky ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Erie County, Ohio, Erie County, Ohio, United States. Situated along the shores of Lake Erie in the northern part of the state, Sandusky is located roughly midway between Toledo, Ohio, Toledo ( wes ...

. It passes through the states of Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio. It goes through the cities of

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

, Charlottesville, Staunton, and Waynesboro, Virginia; and Wheeling, West Virginia. West of

Pruntytown, West Virginia Pruntytown is an unincorporated community at the junction of the Northwestern Turnpike (U.S. Route 50) and U.S. Route 250 in Taylor County, West Virginia, United States. It is the site of the former West Virginia Industrial Home for Boys, now the ...

, US 250 intersects and forms a short overlap with its parent US 50. In Virginia and Ohio, the route is signed east–west. In West Virginia, the route is signed north–south.

Route description

Ohio

In Ohio, U.S. 250 is an important cross-state corridor linking Sandusky (on Lake Erie) to Bridgeport (on the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

). From a regional/traffic perspective, the route can roughly be divided into five sections linking major regions and routes of the state: * US 6 in Sandusky to US 20 at Norwalk * US 20 at Norwalk to US 30 at Wooster * US 30 at Wooster to

I-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 ...

at Strasburg *

at New Philadelphia to

US 22 U.S. Route 22 (US 22) is a west–east route and is one of the original United States highways of 1926, running from Cincinnati, Ohio, at U.S. Route 27, US 27, U.S. Route 42, US 42, U.S. Route 127, US 127, and U.S. Route 52, US 52 to Newark, New ...

at Cadiz *

at Cadiz to I-70 at

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnoc ...

West Virginia

U.S. 250's northern entrance into West Virginia is via the

Military Order of the Purple Heart Bridge The Military Order of the Purple Heart Bridge, named after the Military Order of the Purple Heart, carries U.S. Route 40 and US 250 over the Ohio River back channel between Wheeling Island, West Virginia and Bridgeport, Ohio. Construction began ...

from Bridgeport, Ohio onto Wheeling Island. It is briefly co-signed with

U.S. Route 40 U.S. Route 40 or U.S. Highway 40 (US 40), also known as the Main Street of America, is a major east–west United States Highway traveling across the United States from the Mountain States to the Mid-Atlantic States. As with most routes wh ...

. The route additionally co-signs with Interstate 70 and crosses the

on the

Fort Henry Bridge The Fort Henry Bridge is a crossing of the Ohio River main channel in Wheeling, West Virginia. The tied-arch bridge carries two lanes in each direction of Interstate 70 (I-70), U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and US 250. The bridge opened a ...

in Wheeling, West Virginia. U.S. Route 250 then exits I-70 east of the Wheeling Tunnel and joins West Virginia Route 2 one mile (1.6 km) later. In Moundsville, West Virginia, the route leaves WV 2 and departs toward

Cameron Cameron may refer to: People * Clan Cameron, a Scottish clan * Cameron (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Cameron (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) ;Mononym * Cam'ron (born 197 ...

, Mannington, and Fairmont. It intersects with its parent route,

, two miles west of

Grafton Grafton may refer to: Places Australia * Grafton, New South Wales Canada * Grafton, New Brunswick * Grafton, Nova Scotia * Grafton, Ontario England * Grafton, Cheshire * Grafton, Herefordshire *Grafton, North Yorkshire * Grafton, Oxfordshi ...

in Pruntytown and continues southward, co-signed with

U.S. Route 119 U.S. Route 119 (US 119) is a spur of US 19. It is a north–south route (on a northeast-southwest alignment) that was an original United States highway of 1926. It is Corridor G of the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) east of US ...

for 12 miles. The route moves through

Philippi Philippi (; grc-gre, Φίλιπποι, ''Philippoi'') was a major Greek city northwest of the nearby island, Thasos. Its original name was Crenides ( grc-gre, Κρηνῖδες, ''Krenides'' "Fountains") after its establishment by Thasian colon ...

, and finally through Elkins. U.S. Route 250 intersects with

U.S. Route 33 U.S. Route 33 (US 33) is a United States Numbered Highway that runs northwest–southeast for from northern Indiana to Richmond, Virginia, passing through Ohio and West Virginia en route. Although most odd-numbered U.S. routes are north– ...

and

U.S. Route 219 U.S. Route 219 (US 219) is a spur of US 19. It runs for from West Seneca, New York, at an interchange with Interstate 90 (I-90) to Rich Creek, Virginia, intersecting at US 460. US 219 is found (from north to south) in New York, Pennsylvania, ...

briefly in Elkins, which is the last major hub before U.S. Route 250 winds its way through the Appalachian Mountains to the Virginia border. U.S. 250 in West Virginia includes the

Philippi Covered Bridge The Philippi Covered Bridge, on the Tygart Valley River, is the main local landmark and Secular icon, historical icon of Philippi, West Virginia, United States, USA. The celebrated bridge was commissioned by the General Assembly of Virginia ...

, the only covered bridge on the United States Numbered Highway System.

Philippi truck route

U.S. Route 250 Truck follows Blue and Gray Expressway around the south and west sides of downtown

, avoiding the covered bridge.

Virginia

US 250 runs from the West Virginia state line near Hightown east to its eastern terminus at US 360 in Richmond. US 250 is the main east–west highway of Highland County, which is known as Virginia's Little Switzerland; the highway follows the path of the 19th century Staunton and Parkersburg Turnpike. From Staunton east to Richmond, the U.S. Highway serves as the local complement to Interstate 64 (I-64), roughly following the 18th century

Three Notch'd Road Three Notch'd Road (also called Three Chopt Road) was a colonial-era major east-west route across central Virginia. It is believed to have taken its name from a distinctive marking of three notches cut into trees to blaze the trail. By the 173 ...

through Waynesboro and Charlottesville on its way through the

Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge- ...

, its crossing of the Blue Ridge Mountains at Rockfish Gap, and the Piedmont. In the

Richmond metropolitan area The Greater Richmond Region, the Richmond metropolitan area or Central Virginia, is a region and metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Virginia, centered on Richmond. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) defines the area as the Richmo ...

, US 250 is known as Broad Street, a major thoroughfare through the city's West End and

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

areas.

History

Earlier roads, funding conflicts

Between Short Pump and Staunton, U.S. 250 largely follows the routing of the

(or the Three Chopt Road), which had been established in the

Colony of Virginia The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colonial empire, English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertG ...

between Richmond and the Shenandoah Valley by the 1740s. Most likely, the road followed an ancient Monacan trail from Orapax (east of Richmond) to the western

. This well-planned route required only one major river crossing, the Rivanna at Charlottesville, with inns or taverns spaced about apart. The route west of Staunton was built about 100 years later as a toll road, the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike. In the second quarter of the 19th century, it became a major gateway into Virginia's "Trans-Allegheny" region, which presented much greater challenges to transportation than did less rugged portions of the state. In that region, navigable waterways were unavailable and canals impractical. Wheeled vehicles in the form of wagons, and later, motor vehicles needed to pass through with passengers and freight. It became part of the main trade route for salt and other commodities in the early 19th century. As the American Civil War broke out, the route became very important and was defended by

Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in nearl ...

's troops at the

Battle of McDowell The Battle of McDowell, also known as the Battle of Sitlington's Hill, was fought on May 8, 1862, near McDowell, Virginia, as part of Confederate Major General Stonewall Jackson's 1862 Shenandoah Valley campaign during the American Civil War. ...

in 1862. The portion of the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike west of Allegheny Mountain (almost all of it) became part of West Virginia in 1863. Virginia's pre-War debt became a major issue after the American Civil War, as millions of dollars of debt remained for infrastructure improvements, some of which were now located in the new state of West Virginia, including most of the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike. Political divisions in Virginia on this issue resulted in creation of a new major political group in the late 1870s, the Readjuster Party, a coalition of Democrats,

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, and African-Americans seeking a reduction in Virginia's prewar debt by allocating an appropriate portion to the new

State of 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 B ...

. For several decades, Virginia and West Virginia disputed the new state's share of the Virginia government's debt. The issue was finally settled in 1915, when the United States Supreme Court ruled that West Virginia owed Virginia $12,393,929.50. The final installment of this sum was paid off in 1939.

U.S. Highway system, numbering

U.S. Route 250 was created in 1928 and was originally routed from

in Grafton, West Virginia north/west to U.S. Route 20 in Norwalk, Ohio. In 1932, the route was expanded north/west to

. In 1934, the route was expanded southward and eastward to

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

Major intersections

;Ohio : in Sandusky : north-northwest of Milan : in Norwalk : in Ashland. The highways travel concurrently through Ashland. : east of Ashland : west-southwest of Wooster. The highways travel concurrently to southeast of Wooster. : in Wilmot. The highways travel concurrently through Wilmot. : south-southeast of Strasburg. The highways travel concurrently to New Philadelphia. : in

Uhrichsville Uhrichsville( ) is a city in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,413 at the 2010 census. Claymont City School District is the major education provider for the city of Uhrichsville and for the village of Dennison, Ohio. The ...

: in Cadiz. The highways travel concurrently through Cadiz. : in

. The highways travel concurrently to Wheeling, West Virginia. ;West Virginia : on Wheeling Island. The highways travel concurrently to Wheeling. : in Wheeling : in Fairmont. The highways travel concurrently through Fairmont. : in

White Hall White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

: west-southwest of Prunytown. The highways travel concurrently to Prunytown. : north-northwest of

Webster Webster may refer to: People *Webster (surname), including a list of people with the surname *Webster (given name), including a list of people with the given name Places Canada *Webster, Alberta *Webster's Falls, Hamilton, Ontario United State ...

. The highways travel concurrently to

. : north of Norton. The highways travel concurrently to Elkins. : north of Elkins. The highways travel concurrently to Huttonsville. ;Virginia : in Monterey : in Staunton. The highways travel concurrently through Staunton. : in Staunton : in Waynesboro : in Waynesboro. The highways travel concurrently through Waynesboro. : in Rockfish Gap : in Yancey Mills : west-northwest of Charlottesville. The highways travel concurrently to Charlottesville. : east-southeast of Charlottesville : in Zion X-Roads : in Gum Spring : east-southeast of Short Pump : in Dumbarton : in

. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Richmond : in Richmond : in Richmond

References

External links

Endpoints of U.S. Highway 250
{{s-end 50-2 1