U.S. Route 301 in Virginia - History

History

US 301 south of Petersburg was part of the U.S. Highway System from its beginning in 1926, though it was part of U.S. Route 17-1 until 1932. The extension north from Petersburg was added in late 1940, when the Potomac River Bridge opened. Prior to 1933, the road from Petersburg south into North Carolina was State Route 24. The initial SR 24 was a short route from Emporia southwest to North Carolina along current State Route 627 (via Brink and Barley). It connected at the state line to North Carolina Highway 40.

The "Halifax Road" from North Carolina via Emporia to the junction with State Route 35 (then State Route 5) south of Petersburg was not assigned as part of the initial state highway system in 1918. In March 1923, a delegation from Petersburg appeared before the State Highway Commission, requesting that this be added to the system. They claimed that the road was to be included in the system, but it was left out through an error. SR 24 south of Emporia was realigned in April 1924 to the present US 301 alignment, and North Carolina Highway 40 was realigned at around the same time to match. Over the next several years, the Halifax Road from Emporia to SR 35 was added to the state highway system as SR 24. By 1927, Route 24 had replaced Route 35 north of their junction to Petersburg, and was completely concurrent with U.S. Route 17-1. The number was decommissioned in the 1933 renumbering, at which time the present State Route 24 was designated.