VA 43/BRP Multiplex

[HighwayMaster]

Any reason why VA 43 "multiplexes" with the Blue Ridge Parkway?

[agentsteel53]

Any reason why VA 43 "multiplexes" with the Blue Ridge Parkway?

because they "both" need to "go" in the same "direction".

[Mapmikey]

VA 43 was there first (as was the original state hwy through here, VA 215 before that) and the BRP was built over part of its path.  Initiallly the CTB released to the Park Service VA 43's mileage along the BRP plus some distance in both directions away from the BRP.  Later the CTB took back the non-duplexed portions.

Note that back in 1935 the CTB assigned VA 48 to the ROW of both the BRP and Skyline Drive...so in a sense VA 43 duplexes with VA 48 although traffic logs for VA 48 do not list it as a duplex.

Mapmikey

[HighwayMaster]

Any reason why VA 43 "multiplexes" with the Blue Ridge Parkway?

because they "both" need to "go" in the same "direction".

Well, agentsteel, the reason that I put 'multiplex' in quotations was because VA 43 has a gap in it on the BRP, so technically, there is no multiplex.

VA 43 was there first (as was the original state hwy through here, VA 215 before that) and the BRP was built over part of its path.  Initiallly the CTB released to the Park Service VA 43's mileage along the BRP plus some distance in both directions away from the BRP.  Later the CTB took back the non-duplexed portions.

Note that back in 1935 the CTB assigned VA 48 to the ROW of both the BRP and Skyline Drive...so in a sense VA 43 duplexes with VA 48 although traffic logs for VA 48 do not list it as a duplex.

Mapmikey

"Part of its path". Does that mean there is an abandoned part of old VA 43 out there?

[Mapmikey]

After studying the 1932-1936-1958 Bedford County maps, I conclude that VA 43 may have followed today's SR 695 about 0.2 mile past their current junction but it is difficult to see on street and overhead views how VA 43 gets back to the current BRP.  The 1936 map shows VA 43's distance in the NW piece of Bedford County as 2.3 mi while current traffic log shows VA 43 + BRP as 1.91 mi.  SR 695's distance dropped from 3.7 to 3.5 mi from SR 680.

On the other end, VA 43 followed the road that leads to the Peaks of Otter Lake and then connected to current BRP at Peaks of Otter Lodge.  The 1936 map clearly shows VA 43 staying to the east of the creek that drains the lake.  Additionally, the SR 614 distance from the Botetourt line south to VA 43 changed from 0.50 mi to 0.2 miles, meaning VA 43 met the BRP 0.3 miles south of SR 614.  0.3 miles is about where the lodge is.  The current VA 43 access is closer to 0.6 miles.

On the Peaks of Otter end it does appear there is a potential old alignment of VA 43 in Bedford County along the BRP.  The best map to show it clearly is the 1950 Topo - http://historical.mytopo.com/getImage.asp?fname=PeaksOfOtter50ne.jpg&state=VA


Incidentally, VA 43 is posted in both directions to follow the Parkway as if it was multiplexed...
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=buchanan,+va&aq=&sll=37.230328,-95.712891&sspn=32.003622,78.662109&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Buchanan,+Botetourt,+Virginia&ll=37.485377,-79.668528&spn=0,0.002401&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=37.485474,-79.668528&panoid=MjsSI8ZU41Om0r-NBRDJOQ&cbp=12,206.63,,0,0
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=buchanan,+va&aq=&sll=37.230328,-95.712891&sspn=32.003622,78.662109&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Buchanan,+Botetourt,+Virginia&ll=37.439718,-79.590765&spn=0,0.009602&t=h&z=17&layer=c&cbll=37.439747,-79.590881&panoid=GQv6-3-iFXjiVAF1IkheuQ&cbp=12,314.54,,0,-0.1

I was incorrect in my earlier post...VA 43 coming up from Bedford still ends 5.03 north of SR 643, well short of the mainline BRP.

Mapmikey

[HighwayMaster]

Not sure if this helps:

http://www.broermapsonline.org/members/NorthAmerica/UnitedStates/Midatlantic/Virginia/bluebook1929_051.html

[froggie]

Not really.  What's needed here is a county-level map, which Mike has already looked at a few.