State Route 91 (SR 91) 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 the

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

state line near

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

, where the highway continues as

Tennessee State Route 91 State Route 91 (SR 91) is a state highway in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Tennessee, in the area known as the Tri-Cities region. The route connects Johnson City with Damascus, Virginia via Elizabethton, Hunter, and Mounta ...

(SR 91), north to U.S. Route 19 Business (US 19 Business) and US 460 Business at Frog Level. SR 91 connects Damascus in southeastern Washington County with the northeastern county town Glade Spring, where the highway has junctions with

US 11 U.S. Route 11 or U.S. Highway 11 (US 11) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway extending across the eastern U.S. The southern terminus of the route is at US 90 in Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refu ...

and

Interstate 81 Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40, I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee, Dandridge, Tennessee; its nort ...

(I-81). The state highway also indirectly connects

Saltville Saltville is a town in Smyth and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 1,824 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Kingsport– Bristol (TN)– Bristol (VA) Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a co ...

in northwestern Smyth County and Tazewell, 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 Tazewell County. SR 91 is the only primary state highway in Virginia with an unpaved section; this gravel section is in southern Tazewell County.

Route description

SR 91 begins at the Tennessee state line southeast of Damascus. The highway continues south into Tennessee as SR 91 toward Mountain City. SR 91 heads northwest as Mountain City Road, which parallels Laurel Creek through the

Iron Mountains The Iron Mountains are a subrange of the Blue Ridge Mountains. These mountains are located around the common meeting point of Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina. A portion of the Appalachian Trail runs the crest of the Iron Mountains ab ...

to the creek's confluence with Whitetop Laurel Creek. Just west of that confluence, the state highway crosses Laurel Creek, intersects the

Virginia Creeper Trail The Virginia Creeper Trail is a multi-purpose rail trail. Located in southwestern Virginia, the trail runs from Abingdon to Whitetop, Virginia, near Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and the North Carolina state line. The trail accommoda ...

rail trail A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a Right of way#Rail right of way, railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the rail corr ...

, and runs concurrently with US 58 (Jeb Stuart Highway) parallel to the creek and trail into the town of Damascus. When US 58 turns west to cross Laurel Creek into the center of town, SR 91 continues north and then west on Damascus Drive. The state highway veers north away from Laurel Creek and leaves the town as Monroe Road, which passes through the village of Lodi between crossings of the South Fork and Middle Fork of the

Holston River The Holston River is a river that flows from Kingsport, Tennessee, to Knoxville, Tennessee. Along with its three major forks (North Fork, Middle Fork and South Fork), it comprises a major river system that drains much of northeastern Tennessee ...

. Just south of Glade Spring, SR 91 intersects US 11 (Lee Highway) and continues north as Maple Street through a

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-81 and into the town. When Maple Street continues straight as SR 91 Business, SR 91 veers east as Monte Vista Drive to bypass the downtown area. The state highway receives the northern end of the business route, Glade Street, east of downtown. SR 91 crosses over

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 ...

Pulaski District Pulaski may refer to: Places * Pulaski Heights, a section of the city of Little Rock, Arkansas * Pulaski Shoal, an underwater landform west of the Florida Keys * Pulaski, Georgia, a town * Pulaski Square, one of the "Squares of Savannah" in ...

and exits the town on Crescent Road, which passes through McCall Gap in Walker Mountain. Shortly after entering the town of Saltville, where the highway is named Main Street, the highway veers east and crosses the Washington–Smyth county line. At the east end of the downtown area, SR 91 meets the northern end of SR 107 (Worthy Boulevard). The state highway crosses the North Fork Holston River and parallels it east as Saltville Highway to the hamlet of Broadford, where the highway meets the southern end of SR 42 (Blue Grass Trail) and turns north to follow Laurel Creek through Brushy Mountain. SR 91 continues northeast as Veterans Road into Tazewell County. The state highway briefly follows Laurel Creek through the Freestone Valley before ascending Flattop Mountain near Tannersville. At the end of its descent from the mountain, SR 91 meets the western end of SR 607 (Little Tumbling Creek Road) and crosses the eponymous creek. Just north of the bridge, the state highway's surface changes from asphalt to gravel. The gravel road continues for about on the state highway's crossing of Clinch Mountain. SR 91 returns to asphalt road just south of its intersection with SR 604 (Thompson Valley Road), from which the highway follows Maiden Spring Road. At the hamlet of Maiden Spring, the state highway crosses the

Little River Little River may refer to several places: Australia Streams New South Wales *Little River (Dubbo), source in the Dubbo region, a tributary of the Macquarie River * Little River (Oberon), source in the Oberon Shire, a tributary of Coxs River (Haw ...

, a tributary of the

Clinch River The Clinch River is a river that flows southwest for more than through the Great Appalachian Valley in the U.S. states of Virginia and Tennessee, gathering various tributaries, including the Powell River, before joining the Tennessee River in ...

, and veers east to the hamlet of

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

. SR 91 continues east as Witten Valley Road through the namesake valley to its northern terminus at US 19 Business and US 460 Business (Crab Orchard Road) at Frog Level.

Major intersections

Glade Spring business route

State Route 91 Business (SR 91 Business) is a business route of SR 91 within the town of Glade Spring. The highway runs between intersections with SR 91 on the south and east sides of the town. SR 91 Business heads north on Maple Street where SR 91 curves east to bypass the center of town on Monte Vista Drive. One block south of the railroad tracks, the business route turns east onto Glade Street, which the highway follows through Glade Spring's downtown area. At the east edge of downtown, SR 91 Business veers southeast to reach its northern terminus at SR 91.

References

External links

Virginia Highways Project: VA 91
{{s-end 091 State Route 091 State Route 091 State Route 091