State Route 143 (SR 143) is a primary
state highway in the U.S. state of
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
. The state highway runs from
Camp Peary
Camp Peary is an approximately 9,000 acre U.S. military reservation in York County near Williamsburg, Virginia. Officially referred to as an Armed Forces Experimental Training Activity (AFETA) under the authority of the Department of Defense, ...
near
Williamsburg east to
U.S. Route 258 (US 258) at
Fort Monroe
Fort Monroe, managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the National Park Service as the Fort Monroe National Monument, and the City of Hampton, is a former military installation in Hampton, Virgi ...
in
Hampton
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
Canada
* Hampton, New Brunswick
*Ha ...
. SR 143 is a major local thoroughfare on the
Virginia Peninsula
The Virginia Peninsula is a peninsula in southeast Virginia, USA, bounded 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 peninsulas to the n ...
portion of the
Hampton Roads metropolitan area. The state highway is named Merrimac Trail through the
independent city
An independent city or independent town is a city or town that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity (such as a province).
Historical precursors
In the Holy Roman Empire, and to a degree in its successor states ...
of Williamsburg and adjacent portions of
York County and
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 ...
. SR 143 follows Jefferson Avenue through the city of
Newport News
Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the Uni ...
from the Williamsburg area past
Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail to near
Downtown Newport News. The state highway, which mostly runs northwest–southeast, heads northeast from Newport News, serving as one highway connecting the downtown areas of Newport News and Hampton. SR 143 parallels both
US 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 Pacific Avenue, in the ...
and
Interstate 64
Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchang ...
(I-64) extensively, and sometimes very closely, throughout its course. The state highway also
runs concurrently with US 60 in Hampton and with
US 17
U.S. Route 17 or U.S. Highway 17 (US 17), also known as the Coastal Highway, is a north–south United States Highway that spans in the southeastern United States. It runs close to the Atlantic Coast for much of its length, with ...
in Newport News.
Route description
SR 143 begins at the entrance to Camp Peary in York County north of Williamsburg. The state highway heads south as Merrimac Trail, a four-lane
divided highway
A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...
that meets I-64 at a
partial cloverleaf interchange. SR 143 heads south through a forested area and meets the northern end of
SR 132, which provides access to
Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district in the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has 7300 employees at this location a ...
and, via
Colonial Parkway
Colonial Parkway is a scenic parkway linking the three points of Virginia's Historic Triangle, Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. It is part of the National Park Service's Colonial National Historical Park. Virginia's official state cla ...
,
Jamestown and
Yorktown. The state highway crosses Queen Creek into the city of Williamsburg and meets the northern end of
SR 5 (Capitol Landing Road). East of the SR 5 intersection, SR 143 reduces to a two-lane undivided road, crosses Colonial Parkway with no access, and re-enters York County by crossing an unnamed creek.
SR 143 becomes a five-lane road with a
center left-turn lane
A reversible lane (British English: tidal flow) is a lane in which traffic may travel in either direction, depending on certain conditions. Typically, it is meant to improve traffic flow during rush hours, by having overhead traffic lights and li ...
at its intersection with
SR 162 (2nd Street). The state highway heads southeast and enters James City County at its intersection with SR 641 (Penniman Road). SR 143 begins to closely parallel the north side of
CSX
CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...
's
Peninsula Subdivision
The Peninsula Extension which created the Peninsula Subdivision of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) was the new railroad line on the Virginia Peninsula from Richmond to southeastern Warwick County. Its principal purpose was to provide an i ...
, which is itself paralleled by US 60 (Pocahontas Trail) to the south; the center left-turn lane becomes a left-turn lane exclusively for the eastbound direction of the highway. The two highways have mirror-image partial cloverleaf interchanges with
SR 199 (Humelsine Parkway) as they re-enter York County. SR 143 passes between Williamsburg Country Club to the north and
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Busch Gardens Williamsburg (formerly known as Busch Gardens Europe and Busch Gardens: The Old Country) is a amusement park located in Williamsburg, Virginia, James City County near Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Located approximately ...
to the south; the state highway does not have access to the theme park. Just east of the park, the westbound direction of the state highway receives an exit ramp from I-64.
SR 143 continues east into James City County as a four-lane undivided highway that closely parallels I-64 to the north and the railroad to the south while passing through a forested area. The state highway receives a ramp from eastbound I-64 shortly before crossing Mill Run into the city of Newport News, where the highway's name changes to Jefferson Avenue. Just east of the stream, there are ramps from eastbound SR 143 to eastbound I-64 and from westbound SR 143 to westbound I-64 as the state highway crosses to the north side of the Interstate. SR 143 intersects
SR 238 (Yorktown Road), which provides access to and from I-64 in the direction of Hampton, near the
Lee Hall area of the city. The state highway passes through
Newport News Park and crosses the Lee Hall Reservoir before intersection
SR 105 (Fort Eustis Boulevard) near
Fort Eustis
Fort Eustis is a United States Army installation in Newport News, Virginia. In 2010, it was combined with nearby Langley Air Force Base to form Joint Base Langley–Eustis.
The post is the home to the United States Army Training and Doctrine ...
. The intersection is just east of SR 105's interchange with I-64; the ramps to and from westbound I-64 for access to SR 105 in the direction of Yorktown connect with SR 143 north and south of the interchange, respectively.
SR 143 veers away from I-64 and expands to a six-lane divided highway at Kings Ridge Drive. The state highway intersects
SR 173 (Denbigh Boulevard) east of the
namesake community and north of
Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport
Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport is in Newport News, Virginia, United States, and serves the Hampton Roads area along with Norfolk International Airport in Norfolk. The airport is owned and operated by the Peninsula Airport Commi ...
, which is accessed by Bland Boulevard. Southeast of the airport, SR 143 crosses to the south side of I-64 at a
cloverleaf interchange adjacent to
Patrick Henry Mall. The state highway intersects
SR 171 (Oyster Point Road) and passes through an industrial and commercial area that includes the
Jefferson Lab
Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF), commonly called Jefferson Lab or JLab, is a US National Laboratory located in Newport News, Virginia. Its stated mission is "to provide forefront scientific facilities, opportunities and ...
(Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility) and the
City Center at Oyster Point. South of the city center, SR 143 intersects J. Clyde Morris Boulevard, which heads northeast as part of US 17 toward Yorktown and west as
SR 312. SR 143 and US 17 run concurrently southeast through junctions with
SR 306 (Harpersville Road) and
SR 152 (Main Street) before diverging at Mercury Boulevard, a major east–west thoroughfare that carries US 258 and provides access to the
James River Bridge
The James River Bridge (JRB) is a four-lane divided highway lift bridge across the James River in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Owned and operated by the Virginia Department of Transportation, it carries U.S. Route 17 (US 17), US 258, ...
. This intersection is also the northern terminus of
SR 32.
SR 143 becomes a four-lane undivided highway at 40th Street, which is used to access
SR 351 (39th Street). SR 351 passes over SR 143 just to the north of SR 143's partial interchange with
I-664 (Hampton Roads Beltway), which includes ramps from eastbound SR 143 to southbound I-664 and from northbound I-664 to SR 143. The state highway becomes two lanes at 34th Street and maintains that profile southeast to 27th and 28th Streets, onto which the highway turns northeast as a
one-way pair
A one-way pair, one-way couple, or couplet refers to that portion of a bi-directional traffic facilitysuch as a road, bus, streetcar, or light rail linewhere its opposing flows exist as two independent and roughly parallel facilities.
Descripti ...
, with eastbound following 27th Street and westbound using 28th Street. This one-way pair is just north of US 60's one-way pair on 25th and 26th Streets. The one-way pair ends at Salters Creek, where the highway comes together as a four-lane divided highway passes through a sliver of the city of Hampton. SR 143 enters Hampton for good at Pear Avenue, where the highway continues as Victoria Boulevard.
SR 143 follows Victoria Boulevard through the
Wythe
A wythe is a continuous vertical section of masonry one unit in thickness. A wythe may be independent of, or interlocked with, the adjoining wythe(s). A single wythe of brick
A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements an ...
and
Kecoughtan In the seventeenth century, Kecoughtan was the name of the settlement now known as Hampton, Virginia, In the early twentieth century, it was also the name of a town nearby in Elizabeth City County. It was annexed into the City of Newport News in ...
neighborhoods of Hampton. Within the latter neighborhood, the state highway intersects US 60; the state highway joins the U.S. Highway north on Kecoughtan Road then east on Settlers Landing Road. The two highways meet the southern end of
SR 134 (Armistead Avenue) and head as a two-lane divided street through downtown Hampton, which contains
St. John's Episcopal Church and the
Virginia Air and Space Center. SR 143 and US 60 become four lanes again to cross the
Hampton River and pass along the northern edge of the campus of
Hampton University. The two highways diverge at their
diamond interchange
A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a controlled-access highway crosses a minor road.
Design
The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge. Approaching the ...
with I-64 (Hampton Roads Beltway), which US 60 joins to cross
Hampton Roads via the
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
Canada
*Hampton, New Brunswick
*Hamp ...
to
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
. SR 143 continues southeast along two-lane County Street, turns southwest onto Libby Street for one block, then turns south on Mellen Street and intersects
SR 169 (Mallory Street) within the
Phoebus
Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...
neighborhood. The state highway crosses the Mill Creek estuary as Ingalls Road and reaches its eastern terminus at its junction with US 258's (Mercury Boulevard) northern terminus at the entrance to Fort Monroe.
Major intersections
References
External links
Virginia Highways Project: VA 143
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