U.S. Route 33 (US 33) is a part of the

U.S. Highway System The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these h ...

that runs from

Elkhart, Indiana Elkhart ( ) is a city in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The population was 53,923 at the 2020 census. The city is located east of South Bend, Indiana. It is the most populous city in the Elkhart–Goshen metropolitan area, which in tu ...

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

. In

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 U.S. Highway runs from the

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

state line near Rawley Springs east to its eastern terminus at SR 33 in Richmond. US 33 is the primary east–west highway of Rockingham County, which lies in the

Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia in the United States. The Valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the east ...

. The highway connects 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 Harrisonburg (which also serves as the

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation. Types of seat The ...

of Rockingham County), the town of Elkton, and an entrance to

Shenandoah National Park Shenandoah National Park (often ) is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States that encompasses part of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. The park is long and narrow, with the Shenandoah River and its ...

. East of the

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States and extends 550 miles southwest from southern ...

, US 33 connects the

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

communities of Stanardsville, Gordonsville, and Louisa. The U.S. Highway is a major suburban and urban route in the Richmond metropolitan area. Within Richmond, US 33 runs concurrently with

US 250 U.S. Route 250 (US 250) is a route of the United States Numbered Highway System, and is a spur of U.S. Route 50. It currently runs for from Richmond, Virginia, to Sandusky, Ohio. It passes through the states of Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohi ...

. SR 33 continues from US 33's eastern terminus as a state-numbered extension of the U.S. Highway that connects Richmond with Virginia's

Middle Peninsula The Middle Peninsula is the second of three large peninsulas on the western shore of Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. To the north the Rappahannock River separates it from the Northern Neck peninsula. To the south the York River separates it from th ...

Route description

Allegheny Mountains

US 33 enters Virginia at about elevation at Dry River Gap on top of

Shenandoah Mountain Shenandoah Mountain is a mountain ridge approximately long in Virginia and West Virginia. The steep, narrow, sandstone-capped ridge extends from northern Bath County, Virginia to southern Hardy County, West Virginia. Along the way, its crest de ...

at the

state line, having climbed steeply from the community of

Brandywine, West Virginia Brandywine is a census-designated place (CDP) located on U.S. Route 33 in West Virginia, U.S. Highway 33 in Pendleton County, West Virginia, Pendleton County, West Virginia, United States. The town lies along the Potomac River#South Fork South Br ...

, in the valley of the South Fork of the South Branch of the

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

. US 33 then heads east as Rawley Pike, with a curvaceous descent to the narrow but flat valley of the Dry River, which the highway follows east through the

George Washington National Forest The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests is an administrative entity combining two U.S. United States National Forest, National Forests into one of the largest areas of public land in the Eastern United States. The forests cover o ...

. East of Rawley Springs, the highway veers away from the river, leaves the national forest, and passes through a low, wide gap in

Great North Mountain Great North Mountain is a long mountain ridge within the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. The ridge is located west of the Shenandoah Valley and Massanutten Mountain in Virginia, and east of the ...

to enter the Shenandoah Valley.

Shenandoah Valley

Once in the

, US 33 passes through the hamlets of Hinton and Dale Enterprise, then passes to the north of

Mole Hill A molehill (or mole-hill, mole mound) is a conical mound of loose soil raised by small burrowing mammals, including moles, but also similar animals such as mole-rats, and voles. The word is first recorded in the first half of the 15th century. ...

before entering the

of Harrisonburg. US 33 continues into Harrisonburg as Market Street, a four-lane divided highway. The road becomes an undivided highway and then reduces to two lanes at its intersection with SR 42 (High Street) in downtown Harrisonburg, after which the highway intersects a branch of the

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 ...

's Roanoke District at grade. US 33 meets the southbound direction of

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 ...

(Liberty Street), then splits to pass along a two-lane, one-way street surrounding Court Square, the site of the Rockingham County courthouse. The eastern side of the square, Main Street, is followed by northbound US 11. Both directions of US 33 therefore have short but separate concurrencies with each direction of US 11 around the Courthouse, before US 33 exits the downtown Harrisonburg area as Market Street. US 33 expands to four lanes at Mason Street, then curves south and becomes a divided highway at Vine Street. The highway passes over the Norfolk Southern Railway's Roanoke District rail line, then intersects with

I-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 I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Isla ...

. After I-81, US 33 expands to six lanes, passing through a commercial area that includes the Harrisonburg Crossing shopping center and the Valley Mall. Eastward, the route returns to a four-lane highway, and is named Spotswood Trail at the city limits of Harrisonburg. US 33 meets the northern end of SR 276 (Cross Keys Road) in Penn Laird as the highway makes a broad curve around the southern end of

Massanutten Mountain Massanutten Mountain is a synclinal ridge in the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, located in the U.S. state of Virginia. The original Native American name for the ridge is unknown. Geography The mountain bisects the Shenandoah Valley just e ...

, within which is the Massanutten Resort. The highway crosses the Norfolk Southern rail line again and passes through McGaheysville, at the base of Massanutten Mountain, continuing to Elkton at the southern edge of the

Page Valley The Page Valley is a small valley geographically and culturally associated with the Shenandoah Valley. The valley is located between the Massanutten and Blue Ridge mountain ranges in western Virginia. Geography The valley is approximately l ...

. West of Elkton, US 33 Business (Old Spotswood Trail) splits to the north. US 33 then crosses the South Fork of the Shenandoah River, enters the town limits, and crosses over the Norfolk Southern rail line for the last time. The highway leaves the town at US 340 (East Side Highway) and the east end of US 33 Business. The route then follows West Swift Run southeast to the hamlet of Swift Run, after which it reduces to two lanes and begins a curvaceous ascent of the Blue Ridge, cresting the mountain at

Swift Run Gap Swift Run Gap is a wind gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains located in the U.S. state of Virginia. Geography At an elevation of , it is the site of the mountain crossing of U.S. Highway 33 between the Piedmont region on the eastern side and the Sh ...

at an elevation of , where the highway crosses the

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail, also called the A.T., is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tra ...

and has an intersection with the access road to the

Skyline Drive Skyline Drive is a National Parkway that runs the entire length of the National Park Service's Shenandoah National Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, generally along the ridge of the mountains. The drive's northern terminus is at ...

, the north–south highway through

, then descending to the

Virginia Piedmont The Piedmont region of Virginia is a part of the greater Piedmont physiographic region which stretches from the falls of the Potomac, Rappahannock, and James Rivers to the Blue Ridge Mountains. The region runs across the middle of the state fr ...

Piedmont

After cresting the Blue Ridge, US 33 enters Greene County and has a more gentle descent of the eastern side of the mountain, where the highway follows Swift Run to the hamlet of

Lydia Lydia (; ) was an Iron Age Monarchy, kingdom situated in western Anatolia, in modern-day Turkey. Later, it became an important province of the Achaemenid Empire and then the Roman Empire. Its capital was Sardis. At some point before 800 BC, ...

, then passes around the north side of Powell Mountain and meets the stream again west of Stanardsville, where the road expands to a four-lane divided highway. US 33 Business (Spotswood Trail) splits to the north to pass through the center of Stanardsville, the county seat of Greene County, while US 33 follows the Stanardsville Bypass. US 33 Business provides access to SR 230, which heads toward

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States * Madison (footballer), Brazilian footballer Places in the United States Populated places * Madi ...

. US 33 continues southeast through Quinque and intersects

US 29 U.S. Route 29 or U.S. Highway 29 (US 29) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs for from Pensacola, Florida, to Ellicott City, Maryland, just west of Baltimore, Maryland, in the Eastern United States, connect ...

(Seminole Trail) in Ruckersville. East of US 29, US 33 reduces to two lanes and enters Orange County. The highway has a short concurrency with SR 20 (Constitution Highway) through Barboursville, where both highways pass under the Norfolk Southern Railway's Washington District rail line. US 33 passes through a gap in the

Southwest Mountains The Southwest Mountains of Virginia are a mountain range centered on Charlottesville, parallel to and geologically associated with the Blue Ridge Mountains, which lie about 30 miles (50 km) to the west. The range is breached by the Rivann ...

before reaching Gordonsville. At the town limit, the U.S. Highway has an intersection with SR 231 (Blue Ridge Turnpike). US 33 and SR 231 run together a short distance east to the Gordonsville Roundabout, where SR 231 heads southwest as Gordon Avenue toward Cismont and US 33 becomes concurrent with

US 15 U.S. Route 15 or U.S. Highway 15 (US 15) is a United States Numbered Highway, serving the states of South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York (state), New York. The route is signed north–sou ...

(James Madison Highway) along Main Street. The two highways pass the Exchange Hotel at their underpass of the

Washington Subdivision The Washington Subdivision is a railroad line in Virginia owned by CSX Transportation and leased and operated by the Buckingham Branch Railroad. The line is part of the BB's Richmond & Alleghany Division. The line splits from the Norfolk Southern ...

, the

Charlottesville Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the seat of government of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Quee ...

–

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

rail line owned by the

Buckingham Branch Railroad Buckingham Branch Railroad is a Class III short-line railroad operating over 275 miles (443 km) of historic and strategic trackage in Central Virginia. Sharing overhead traffic with CSX and Amtrak, the company's headquarters are in Dill ...

. At the southern edge of downtown Gordonsville, US 33 and US 15 leave Main Street and veer onto Martinsburg Avenue, which follows

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 ...

's Piedmont Subdivision to the southern limit of Gordonsville, where the highways enter Louisa County. US 15 continues south as the James Madison Highway toward

Farmville ''FarmVille'' is a series of agriculture-simulation social network games developed and published by Zynga in 2009. It is similar to '' Happy Farm'' and ''Farm Town''. Its gameplay involves various aspects of farmland management, such as plo ...

, while US 33 continues paralleling the railroad along Spotswood Trail. At Trevilians, US 33 becomes concurrent with SR 22 (Louisa Road). US 33 and SR 22 head into the town of Louisa as Main Street. On the east side of this county seat, the highways intersect SR 208 (Courthouse Road). SR 208 joins the two highways for a short distance until the state highways diverge from US 33, following the railroad east along Davis Highway toward

Mineral In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid substance with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. (2011): Mi ...

, near the

epicenter The epicenter (), epicentre, or epicentrum in seismology is the point on the Earth's surface directly above a hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or an underground explosion originates. Determination The primary purpose of a ...

of the

2011 Virginia earthquake On August 23, 2011, a moment magnitude scale, magnitude 5.8 earthquake hit the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region of the U.S. state of Virginia at 1:51:04 p.m. EDT. The epicenter, in Louisa County, Virginia, Louisa County, was nor ...

, with US 33 continuing southeast along Jefferson Highway. The route passes south of Northeast Creek Reservoir before a short concurrency with

US 522 U.S. Route 522 (US 522) is a spur route of US 22 in the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. The U.S. Highway travels in a north-south direction, and runs from US 60 near Powhatan, Virginia, to its northern terminus ...

Cuckoo Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae ( ) family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes ( ). The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals, and anis. The coucals and anis are somet ...

, where US 522 heads north as Pendleton Road toward Mineral and south as Cross County Highway toward Goochland. Continuing eastward, US 33 then approaches the

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

Metropolitan Area.

Richmond metropolitan area

Continuing eastward across the Piedmont, US 33 heads southeast into

Hanover County Hanover County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 109,979. Its county seat is Hanover. Hanover County is a part of the Greater Richmond Region. History Located in the western Tidewater ...

, where the highway is named Mountain Road. The route then passes through the village of Montpelier, after which it meets the western end of SR 54 (Patrick Henry Road). US 33 crosses the

South Anna River The South Anna River is a principal tributary of the Pamunkey River, about long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 in central Virginia in the United States. ...

at Ground Squirrel Bridge northwest of Farrington, then expands to a four-lane divided highway just north of 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 ...

, where the highway enters

Henrico County Henrico County , officially the County of Henrico, is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 334,389 making it the fifth-most populous county in Virginia. Henrico Coun ...

and becomes Staples Mill Road. It then intersects

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 ...

, then meets the northern end of SR 157 (Springfield Road) in the Richmond suburb of Glen Allen. In the community of

Laurel Laurel may refer to: Plants * Lauraceae, the laurel family * Laurel (plant), including a list of trees and plants known as laurel People * Laurel (given name), people with the given name * Laurel (surname), people with the surname * Laurel (mus ...

, US 33 expands to six lanes at its intersection with Parham Road north of the Richmond Staples Mill Road

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

station. In

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; , or ; or , meaning 'fort of the Britons (historical), Britons') is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven, Dunbartonshire, River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. ...

, US 33 meets the western end of SR 356 (Hilliard Road) and has a partial cloverleaf interchange with

I-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 the Bowers Hill ...

with a flyover ramp from westbound I-64 to eastbound US 33. US 33 enters

, an

, just before the highway meets

(Broad Street) near The Shops at Willow Lawn. US 33 and US 250 continue together southeast along this six-lane boulevard toward downtown Richmond. Broad Street also carries the

GRTC Pulse The GRTC Pulse, often abbreviated as The Pulse, is a bus rapid transit line in Richmond, Virginia, United States, operated by the Greater Richmond Transit Company. The line runs along Broad Street and Main Street in central Richmond, between ...

bus rapid transit line. The two highways parallel the city line to SR 197 (Malvern Avenue), then pass over

I-195 Interstate 195 (I-195) is the designation for the following six existing Interstate Highways in the United States, all of which are related to I-95: *Interstate 195 (Maine), a spur in Saco *Interstate 195 (Maryland), a spur to BWI Airport *Intersta ...

with no direct access. US 33 and US 250 intersect SR 161 (Arthur Ashe Boulevard) northwest of the

Science Museum of Virginia The Science Museum of Virginia is a science museum located in Richmond, Virginia. Established in 1970, it is an agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is housed in the former Broad Street Station, built in 1917. History Early proposals In ...

, in the former Broad Street railroad station. US 33 and US 250 split just east of the

Siegel Center The Stuart C. Siegel Center is a multi-purpose facility on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, United States. The facility's main component is the 7,637-seat (expandable to 8,000) E.J. Wade Arena. It also serv ...

, home of the

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a Public university, public research university in Richmond, Virginia, United States. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virgin ...

Rams basketball teams, with US 250 continuing on Broad Street, while US 33 turns north onto Hancock Street. The federally numbered highway reaches its eastern terminus at Leigh Street, where it becomes Virginia SR 33. SR 33 then heads east as a state-numbered extension of US 33 through the eastern part of Richmond and

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

to the

on Virginia's

Coastal Plain A coastal plain (also coastal plains, coastal lowland, coastal lowlands) is an area of flat, low-lying land adjacent to a sea coast. A fall line commonly marks the border between a coastal plain and an upland area. Formation Coastal plains can f ...

, reaching the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

Stingray Point Stingray Point is a small community on the Chesapeake Bay near the village of Deltaville in Middlesex County, Virginia. It is located at the eastern terminus of State Route 33. It is populated by fewer than 250 full-time residents; however, d ...

just east of

Deltaville Deltaville is a small unincorporated community and census-designated place on the eastern tip of Middlesex County in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Virginia. It is known for being a vacation spot with sailing, fishing, and other water a ...

Major intersections

Special routes

Elkton business route

U.S. Route 33 Business (US 33 Business) is a business route of US 33 in Rockingham County. The highway runs between junctions with US 33 on either side of Elkton. US 33 Business follows Old Spotswood Trail to the western town limit of Elkton, then passes through downtown Elkton as Spottswood Avenue. At Stuart Avenue, which carries US 340, US 33 Business turns south and joins the U.S. Highway for a short distance to the business route's eastern terminus at a partial cloverleaf interchange with US 33.

Stanardsville business route

U.S. Route 33 Business (US 33 Business) is a business route of US 33 in Greene County. The highway runs between junctions with US 33 on either side of Stanardsville. US 33 Business follows Spotswood Trail to the western town limit of Stanardsville, then passes through the center of town as Main Street. At the east edge of town, the business route meets the southern end of SR 230 (Madison Road). US 33 Business continues east to reconnect with US 33 at the eastern end of the Stanardsville Bypass.

References

External links

Virginia Highways Project: US 33
{{state detail page browse, type=US, route=33, state=Virginia, statebefore=West Virginia, stateafter= 33 U.S. Route 033 U.S. Route 033 U.S. Route 033 U.S. Route 033 U.S. Route 033 U.S. Route 033 U.S. Route 033 U.S. Route 033 Virginia