State Route 156 (SR 156) is a primary

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...

in the U.S. state of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. The state highway runs from

U.S. Route 301 U.S. Route 301 (US 301) is a spur of U.S. Route 1 running through the South Atlantic states. It runs from Biddles Corner, Delaware, at Delaware Route 1 to Sarasota, Florida, at U.S. Route 41. It passes through the states of Delaware, ...

(US 301) and SR 35 in Templeton north to US 360 Business in Mechanicsville. SR 156 follows a circuitous route through the eastern part of the Richmond–Petersburg metropolitan area. South of the

James River The James River is a river in Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows from the confluence of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers in Botetourt County U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowli ...

, the state highway connects Templeton in

Prince George County Prince George County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,010. Its county seat is Prince George. Prince George County is located within the Greater Richmond Region of the U.S. sta ...

with Hopewell, which is directly served by SR 156 Business. SR 156 crosses the James River on the Benjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge and briefly passes through

Charles City County Charles City County is a county located in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated southeast of Richmond and west of Jamestown. It is bounded on the south by the James River and on the east by the Chickahominy River. The a ...

. For most of its length in Henrico and

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

, the state highway is a rural road that provides access to several units of

Richmond National Battlefield Park The Richmond National Battlefield Park commemorates 13 American Civil War sites around Richmond, Virginia, which served as the capital of the Confederate States of America for most of the war. The park connects certain features within the city wi ...

. However, SR 156 provides access to

Richmond International Airport Richmond International Airport is a joint civil-military airport in Sandston, Virginia, United States, an unincorporated community (in Henrico County). The airport is about 7 miles (11 km) southeast of downtown Richmond, the capital of the ...

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 ...

(I-64), and

I-295 Interstate 295 is the designation for the following eight Interstate Highways in the United States, all of which are related to I-95: *Interstate 295 (Delaware–Pennsylvania), a bypass of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania * Interstate 295 (Florida), a be ...

as it passes through the Richmond suburbs of Sandston and Highland Springs as a major highway.

Route description

SR 156 begins at a four-way intersection with US 301 and SR 35 (Courtland Road) in Templeton. The south leg of the intersection is an exit ramp from northbound

I-95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...

. US 301 and SR 35 head west along Courtland Road to provide access to the remaining ramps of the highways'

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 separation, grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge. ...

with I-95. SR 35 heads east along Courtland Road toward Courtland. SR 156 and US 301 run concurrently north along Prince George Drive before US 301 splits northwest to follow Crater Road toward Petersburg. SR 156 continues northeast along two-lane undivided Prince George Drive toward its junction with

US 460 U.S. Route 460 (US 460) is an auxiliary route of U.S. Route 60. It currently runs for 655 miles (1,054 km) from Norfolk, Virginia, at its parent route U.S. Route 60 at Ocean View to Frankfort, Kentucky, intersecting its parent rou ...

(County Drive) northwest of Disputanta, which occurs just after the state highway crosses

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

Norfolk District Norfolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and east, Cambridgeshire to the west, a ...

. The state highway continues north to the community of Prince George, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Prince George County, where the highway has a four-way intersection with SR 106 (Courthouse Road) and SR 156 Business (Prince George Drive). SR 106 heads southwest toward the county office complex, SR 156 Business heads north to serve Hopewell, and SR 156 and SR 106 head northeast along Ruffin Road to bypass Hopewell. SR 156 and SR 106 follow Ruffin Road to SR 10 (James River Drive); this intersection is also the northern end of SR 156 Business. The two highways turn east to run concurrently with the four-lane divided highway to its next intersection with Jordan Point Road. SR 156 and SR 106 turn north onto two-lane undivided Jordan Point Road, which leads to Jordan Point. The two highways cross the James River on the Benjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge, a

vertical-lift bridge A vertical-lift bridge or just lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck. The vertical lift offers several benefits over other movable bridges such as the bascule and swi ...

that is named for

Benjamin Harrison V Benjamin Harrison V (April 5, 1726April 24, 1791) was an American planter, merchant, and politician who served as a legislator in colonial Virginia, following his namesakes' tradition of public service. He was a signer of the Continental Asso ...

, the father of

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was the ninth president of the United States, serving from March 4 to April 4, 1841, the shortest presidency in U.S. history. He was also the first U.S. president to die in office, causin ...

and great-grandfather of

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was the 23rd president of the United States, serving from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia—a grandson of the ninth president, William Henry Harrison, and a ...

. The two highways enter Charles City County as Roxbury Road, which they follow north to SR 5 (John Tyler Memorial Highway) at Kimages. SR 5 heads east toward Charles City, SR 106 continues north along Roxbury Road toward Roxbury, and SR 156 turns west to join SR 5 in a concurrency. SR 156 and SR 5 initially head west but curve north and pass by

Shirley Plantation Shirley Plantation is an Estate (house), estate on the north bank of the James River in Charles City County, Virginia. It is located on scenic byway State Route 5 (Virginia), State Route 5, between Richmond, Virginia, Richmond and Williamsburg, ...

, one of the

James River plantations James River plantations were established in the Virginia Colony along the James River between the mouth at Hampton Roads and the head of navigation at the Fall Line where Richmond is today. History The colony struggled for five years after i ...

. The two highways pass through the hamlet of Granville, which lies on the James River opposite Turkey Island, which is formed by a bend in the river that encloses Presquile National Wildlife Refuge. Just north of Granville, SR 156 and SR 5 cross Turkey Island Creek into Henrico County, where the highways follow New Market Road until SR 156 turns northeast onto Willis Church Road. At Carters Mill Road, SR 156 makes a right-angle turn north just before passing through the

Malvern Hill Malvern Hill stands on the north bank of the James River in Henrico County, Virginia, USA, about eighteen miles southeast of Richmond. On 1 July 1862, it was the scene of the Battle of Malvern Hill, one of the Seven Days Battles of the American ...

unit of Richmond National Battlefield Park. The state highway passes Glendale National Cemetery and the Glendale unit of the battlefield park before reaching a four-way intersection with Charles City Road and Darbytown Road, where SR 156 makes a right-angle turn to the east onto Charles City Road. SR 156 follows Charles City Road to Elko Road, onto which the highway turns north to cross the White Oak Swamp and intersect

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of trac ...

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 ...

in the hamlet of Elko. The state highway passes scattered residential subdivisions as it follows the eastern edge of the Elko Tract, part of which is an industrial park accessed via SR 380 (Elko Tract Road). North of the Elko Tract, SR 156 turns west and joins

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 General Booth Bouleva ...

and SR 33 on Williamsburg Road, a four-lane divided highway. The three highways meet I-295 at a

cloverleaf interchange A cloverleaf interchange is a two-level interchange (road), interchange in which all turns are handled by slip roads. To go left (in right-hand traffic; reverse directions in left-driving regions), vehicles first continue as one road passe ...

and enter the community of Sandston, through which the highways pass as a two-lane undivided road. SR 33 turns north onto Nine Mile Road next to

Seven Pines National Cemetery Seven Pines National Cemetery is a national cemetery located in the Seven Pines area of the unincorporated town of Sandston in Henrico County, Virginia. Although cemetery records state the name is derived from for a group of seven pine trees ...

. SR 156 and US 60 expand to a four-lane divided highway again as they begin to follow the northern edge of the Richmond International Airport property. SR 156 and US 60 diverge at Airport Drive, which heads south into the airport and north as part of SR 156. The four-lane divided highway has a cloverleaf interchange with I-64 and, just to the north, intersects Norfolk Southern Railway's Richmond District at grade. SR 156 continues northeast through the community of Highland Springs, where it intersects SR 33 (Nine Mile Road) again. SR 156 has another cloverleaf interchange with I-295. East of the Interstate at Old Hanover Road, the state highway reduces to two lanes and briefly becomes Hanover Road before crossing the

Chickahominy River The Chickahominy is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 river in eastern Virginia. The river, which serves as the eastern border of Charles City County, Vir ...

into Hanover County. SR 156 continues north as Cold Harbor Road, which makes a right-angle turn west at SR 619 (Rockhill Road) to pass by the Gaines' Mill and

Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Army, Union Lieuten ...

units of Richmond National Battlefield Park. After intersecting SR 615 (Creighton Road), which provides access to I-295, the state highway enters a suburban area where the highway makes another right-angle turn west at SR 636 (Walnut Grove Road) and SR 643 (Lee Davis Road). SR 156 crosses over I-295 with no access and passes by the Beaver Dam Creek unit of the battlefield park before entering Mechanicsville. The state highway has a three-quarter diamond interchange with

US 360 U.S. Route 360 (US 360) is a spur route of US 60. The U.S. Highway runs , entirely within the state of Virginia, from US 58 Business, Virginia State Route 293 (SR 293), and SR 360 in Danville east to SR 644 in Reedville. US 360 connects D ...

(Mechanicsville Bypass) just before reaching its northern terminus at US 360 Business (Mechanicsville Turnpike), which completes the missing westbound US 360 to SR 156 movement of the interchange. The road continues northwest as SR 638 (Atlee Road).

Major intersections

Bannered route

Hopewell business route

Virginia State Route 156 Business (SR 156 Business) is a business route of SR 156 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 Hopewell. The highway runs from SR 156 and SR 106 in Prince George north to SR 156, SR 10, and SR 106 near Jordan Point. SR 156 Business begins as Prince George Drive, which heads northwest as a two-lane undivided road from the SR 156–SR 106 junction and enters the city of Hopewell by crossing Bailey Creek. The highway enters the city as Arlington Road, which immediately expands to four lanes. When Arlington Road splits to the north, SR 156 Business continues on High Street to SR 36 (Winston Churchill Drive). The business route turns northeast onto the four-lane divided highway and runs concurrently with SR 36 until that highway turns onto Arlington Road to head toward downtown Hopewell. SR 156 Business intersects several rail spurs as the highway enters an industrial area. Within the industrial area, the business route intersects SR 10 (Randolph Road). SR 156 Business and SR 10 run concurrently east out of the industrial area. The highways leave the city of Hopewell by crossing Bailey Creek again before the business route reaches its northern terminus at the intersection between SR 156, SR 10, and SR 106.

References

External links

Virginia Highways Project: VA 156
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156 Year 156 ( CLVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Silvanus and Augurinus (or, less frequently, year 909 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 156 for thi ...

State Route 156 State Route 156 State Route 156 State Route 156 State Route 156