Anderson's Corner, Virginia is located in
James City County
James City County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 78,254. Although politically separate from the county, the county seat is the adjacent independent city of Williamsburg. Located o ...
near the unincorporated community of
Toano. Located at the intersection of
U.S. Route 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 General Booth Bouleva ...
and
State Route 30, Anderson's Corner was the western terminus of
State Route 168 a new four-laned highway also known as the
Merrimack Trail
Merrimack Trail is the local name for State Route 143 as it passes through portions of York County and James City County and the independent city of Williamsburg in the Virginia Peninsula subregion of Hampton Roads in Virginia.
History
With t ...
which was established in the pre-
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
era to supplement the heavily traveled Route 60 through the Williamsburg where the
Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district in Williamsburg, Virginia. Its historic area includes several hundred restored or recreated buildings from the 18th century, wh ...
Restoration funded by Abby and
John D. Rockefeller Jr.
John Davison Rockefeller Jr. (January 29, 1874 – May 11, 1960) was an American financier and philanthropist. Rockefeller was the fifth child and only son of Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller. He was involved in the development of th ...
had added to traffic, as well as the growing
Virginia Peninsula
The Virginia Peninsula is the natural landform located in southeast Virginia outlined by the York River, James River, Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay. It is sometimes known as the ''Lower Peninsula'' to distinguish it from two other penins ...
area, connecting via harbor ferry with similarly designated roads in
South Hampton Roads
South Hampton Roads is a region located in the extreme southeastern portion of Virginia's Tidewater region in the United States with a total population of 1,177,742 as of 2020. It is part of the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MSA ( M ...
.
On the south side of the harbor, Route 168 connected with North Carolina's own
Route 168 leading to the Outer Banks resorts. The newly completed two-laned
Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel
Hampton may refer to:
Places Australia
* Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia
* Hampton, New South Wales
* Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region
* Hampton, Victoria
** Hampton railway station, Melbo ...
was designated Route 168 when it opened in 1957. The new
Tidewater Drive
State Route 168 is a primary state highway in the South Hampton Roads region of the U.S. state of Virginia. It runs from the border with North Carolina (where it continues as North Carolina Highway 168 towards the Outer Banks) through the in ...
received the Route 168 designation after World War II.
As portions of
Interstate 64
Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at Interstate 70, I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and U.S. Route 61, US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern ter ...
were completed in the late 1950s and 1960s, they occasionally bore a Route 168 designation for a period of time until substantial through service using the I-64 signage became more practical for use. The route 168 designation was eventually truncated south of the bridge-tunnel, and portions of the former roadway became reused as frontage routes, as well as parts of state routes 30 and
State Route 143).
Anderson's Corner became far less busy with through tourist and other traffic after the interstate opened, not unlike many older business areas in the United States during that era of the mid-20th century.
References
{{reflist
Geography of James City County, Virginia