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Author Topic: Danville, Virginia  (Read 5796 times)

bugo

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Danville, Virginia
« on: December 06, 2017, 01:54:57 AM »

I have a few questions about the Danville, VA area.

Was VA 51 once US 58? If so, did it make a 90° turn from Westover Drive to Riverside Drive or was it configured differently then?

Was VA 293 once US 29?

Was Memorial Drive (Business US 29/VA 413) an early US 29 bypass?

When was Business US 29 between VA 293 and Business US 58 built? Was it part of a bypass built after Memorial Drive?

Was Piedmont Drive once US 29 or Business US 29?

Did US 360 once end at the current VA 293/VA 360 intersection (Main Street at Richmond Blvd)? Or did it end at US 58?

What's with all the interchanges on Central Blvd (Business US 29/VA 86)? Was VA 86 once part of US 29, and was Central Blvd once planned to be a part of a larger freeway?

Why does US 360 still end at VA 293? VA 293 hasn't been US 29 in a long time. Why doesn't it end at either US 58 in South Boston or at US 29?

Does US 311 end at Business US 58 or does it follow Business US 58 west to end at US 58? Is there any mention of US 311 from US 58?
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Mapmikey

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Re: Danville, Virginia
« Reply #1 on: December 06, 2017, 06:41:26 AM »

I have a few questions about the Danville, VA area.

Was VA 51 once US 58? If so, did it make a 90° turn from Westover Drive to Riverside Drive or was it configured differently then?

US 58 was removed from VA 51 in Oct 1954.  US 58 used the alignment now occupied by the US 58 WB ramp to VA 51 so it was not a hard 90.


Quote
Was VA 293 once US 29?
VA 293 was mainline US 29 until Dec 1970 and US 29 Business from then until June 1996

Quote
Was Memorial Drive (Business US 29/VA 413) an early US 29 bypass?
Memorial Dr east of Union was US 58 until Aug 1947.  Between today's US 29 Bus and Union St was never in the primary system until VA 413 came along.


Quote
When was Business US 29 between VA 293 and Business US 58 built? Was it part of a bypass built after Memorial Drive?
What is now US 29 Business was the original bypass of Danville and was US 29 ALT from Jan 1941 to Dec 1970 when it became US 29 Bypass.  At least some of this road existed as SR 750 prior to 1941.

Quote
Was Piedmont Drive once US 29 or Business US 29?
Only the part south of current US 58 Business, which was also VA 125. 

Quote
Did US 360 once end at the current VA 293/VA 360 intersection (Main Street at Richmond Blvd)? Or did it end at US 58?
My impression is that is has always ended at the intersection it does now.

Quote
What's with all the interchanges on Central Blvd (Business US 29/VA 86)? Was VA 86 once part of US 29, and was Central Blvd once planned to be a part of a larger freeway?
VA 86 south of W. Main St has never been part of US 29.  I am not aware of grander plans for Central Blvd.

Quote
Why does US 360 still end at VA 293? VA 293 hasn't been US 29 in a long time. Why doesn't it end at either US 58 in South Boston or at US 29?
IMO the logic is that it ends at VA 360, which was supposed to be US 360 ALT but AASHTO denied VDOT's request to call it that when US 360 moved to its routing via South Boston in 1984.  There is no particular reason it couldn't end at South Boston, though I have floated the theory, and somebody actually recommended to NCDOT that US 360 replace US 311 southwest to Winston-Salem

Quote
Does US 311 end at Business US 58 or does it follow Business US 58 west to end at US 58? Is there any mention of US 311 from US 58?
It ends at US 58 Business.  There are TO US 311 shields from both directions of US 58 at the west end of US 58 Business.


I would recommend visiting http://vahighways.com/route-log/index.htm which can answer many Virginia routing questions...
« Last Edit: December 06, 2017, 07:05:21 AM by Mapmikey »
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LM117

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Re: Danville, Virginia
« Reply #2 on: December 06, 2017, 07:00:02 AM »

I am not aware of grander plans for Central Blvd.

There aren't any. The Central Blvd/Piney Forest Road corridor would be practically impossible to improve since it's heavily surrounded by businesses. It's a parking lot most times of the day. The lack of corridor preservation, the suicide lane from hell, and poorly timed traffic lights make it a nightmare. It's rare to hit two green lights in a row and the shitty drivers make it even worse. Think Mario Kart. For a city no bigger than it is, traffic is atrocious. :ded:

The only improvement that could be done is re-timing the traffic lights, but that makes too much sense for Danville so that ain't gonna happen. :banghead:
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Mapmikey

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Re: Danville, Virginia
« Reply #3 on: December 06, 2017, 07:16:04 AM »

The original Aug 1962 CTB resolution on wanting to build Central Blvd north of today's VA 293 is on page 16 here - http://www.ctb.virginia.gov/meetings/minutes_pdf/CTB-08-1962-01.pdf

It talks about traffic increase potential on Broad St.  Makes no mention of S. Main St south of today's VA 293.
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hbelkins

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Re: Danville, Virginia
« Reply #4 on: December 06, 2017, 11:23:56 AM »

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bugo

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Re: Danville, Virginia
« Reply #5 on: December 06, 2017, 06:49:01 PM »

Quote
Was Memorial Drive (Business US 29/VA 413) an early US 29 bypass?
Memorial Dr east of Union was US 58 until Aug 1947.  Between today's US 29 Bus and Union St was never in the primary system until VA 413 came along.

Did US 58 eastbound follow Riverside, then Union, then Memorial, then Main, then River Street, crossing the Dan River twice?

Thanks for all the information!
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Mapmikey

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Re: Danville, Virginia
« Reply #6 on: December 06, 2017, 07:48:03 PM »

Quote
Was Memorial Drive (Business US 29/VA 413) an early US 29 bypass?
Memorial Dr east of Union was US 58 until Aug 1947.  Between today's US 29 Bus and Union St was never in the primary system until VA 413 came along.

Did US 58 eastbound follow Riverside, then Union, then Memorial, then Main, then River Street, crossing the Dan River twice?

Thanks for all the information!


Yes...

From the 1941 Official
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Beltway

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Re: Danville, Virginia
« Reply #7 on: December 06, 2017, 11:55:02 PM »

When was Business US 29 between VA 293 and Business US 58 built? Was it part of a bypass built after Memorial Drive?
What is now US 29 Business was the original bypass of Danville and was US 29 ALT from Jan 1941 to Dec 1970 when it became US 29 Bypass.  At least some of this road existed as SR 750 prior to 1941.

IOW, the Danville area had a 4-lane US-29 and bypass well before the Danville Expressway was built.  Do you know the date it was 4 lanes thruout?

A question I have, did US-58 originally have a downtown routing before the 4-lane US-58 (now Bus. US-58) was built north of the river?
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Mapmikey

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Re: Danville, Virginia
« Reply #8 on: December 07, 2017, 06:22:44 AM »

When was Business US 29 between VA 293 and Business US 58 built? Was it part of a bypass built after Memorial Drive?
What is now US 29 Business was the original bypass of Danville and was US 29 ALT from Jan 1941 to Dec 1970 when it became US 29 Bypass.  At least some of this road existed as SR 750 prior to 1941.

IOW, the Danville area had a 4-lane US-29 and bypass well before the Danville Expressway was built.  Do you know the date it was 4 lanes thruout?

A question I have, did US-58 originally have a downtown routing before the 4-lane US-58 (now Bus. US-58) was built north of the river?

North of the river, current 29 Business was fully 4-laned about 1983.  It appears by 1963 it had been a 3-lane configuration.  South of the river it is harder to tell.  The first state official to show it fully multilane was 1994 but I think that is wrong - some of it was 4-lane undivided probably earlier than this...historic aerials are too fuzzy to tell.

US 58's original Danville routing is shown in reply #6 of this thread unless I am misunderstanding your question.
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Beltway

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Re: Danville, Virginia
« Reply #9 on: December 07, 2017, 07:06:33 AM »

IOW, the Danville area had a 4-lane US-29 and bypass well before the Danville Expressway was built.  Do you know the date it was 4 lanes thruout?
North of the river, current 29 Business was fully 4-laned about 1983.  It appears by 1963 it had been a 3-lane configuration.  South of the river it is harder to tell.  The first state official to show it fully multilane was 1994 but I think that is wrong - some of it was 4-lane undivided probably earlier than this...historic aerials are too fuzzy to tell.

Interesting, as per viewing the design standards it looked as if all was 4-laned by about 1965, and that would include the undivided sections.
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