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U.S. Route 29 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29th Infantry Division Memorial Highway | ||||
 US 29 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by VDOT | ||||
| Length | 248.0 mi[1] (399.1 km) | |||
| Existed | 1931–present | |||
| Tourist routes |  Journey Through Hallowed Ground Byway Virginia Byway | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |    Future I-785 / US 29 near Reidsville, NC | |||
| North end | US 29 in Washington, DC | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Virginia | |||
| Counties | City of Danville, Pittsylvania, Campbell, City of Lynchburg, Amherst, Nelson, Albemarle, City of Charlottesville, Greene, Madison, Culpeper, Fauquier, Prince William, Fairfax, City of Fairfax, City of Falls Church, Arlington | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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U.S. Route 29 (US 29) is a major north–south route in the commonwealth of Virginia. It covers 248.0 miles (399.1 km) from the North Carolina border at the city of Danville to the Key Bridge in Washington DC. US 29 roughly bisects Virginia into eastern and western halves and, along with Interstate 81 (I-81) and US 11 in western Virginia and I-85/I-95 as well as US 1 farther east, provides one of the major north–south routes through the commonwealth.
Since 1928, when the Virginia General Assembly passed Senate Bill 64, much of US 29 in Virginia is known as the Seminole Trail.[2][3] Through Northern Virginia, it is known as the Lee Highway, except in Falls Church, where it acts as the east–west divider for city streets and is called North or South Washington Street, and Arlington, where it was renamed Langston Boulevard in July 2021 in honor of John Mercer Langston.[4] On April 7, 1993, the Virginia General Assembly officially designated the entire length of US 29 from the North Carolina border to the Potomac River as the "29th Infantry Division Memorial Highway" in honor of the 29th Infantry Division, which, along with the 1st Infantry Division, formed the spearhead of the U.S. infantry that landed on the morning of June 6, 1944, on Omaha Beach in Normandy as part of the liberation of France during World War II. In addition, the name of this highway serves to honor many members of the Virginia Army National Guard who serve as part of this National Guard Division today. Signs indicating this designation have been placed periodically on both sides of US 29.
For most of its route through Virginia, US 29 has been constructed to be at least four lanes along its route, with the two short exceptions being where the highway passes through Manassas National Battlefield Park, where it is two lanes wide for approximately three miles (4.8 km), and through Fairfax and Arlington counties, where it is sometimes wider. It can also be six and eight lanes in much of northern Albemarle County.
US 29 in Virginia has 11 bypasses around various cities and towns. These bypasses are around Danville, Chatham, Gretna, Hurt–Altavista, Lynchburg–Madison Heights–Amherst, Lovingston, Charlottesville, Madison, Culpeper, Remington, and Warrenton. In addition, I-66 serves for the most part as a bypass of Manassas and also Fairfax and Arlington.
- ^ "2010 Traffic Data". Virginia Department of Transportation. 2010. Archived from the original on December 3, 2011. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
- Pittsylvania County and City of Danville (PDF) Archived December 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- Campbell County and City of Lynchburg (PDF) Archived December 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- Amherst County (PDF) Archived December 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- Nelson County (PDF) Archived December 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- Albemarle County and City of Charlottesville (PDF) Archived December 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- Greene County (PDF) Archived December 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- Madison County (PDF) Archived December 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- Culpeper County (PDF) Archived December 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- Fauquier County (PDF) Archived December 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- Prince William County, City of Manassas, and City of Manassas Park (PDF) Archived December 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- Fairfax County, City of Fairfax, and City of Falls Church (PDF) Archived October 18, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- Arlington County and City of Alexandria (PDF) Archived December 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Dave McNair (October 9, 2006). "Route 29 to become Wahoo Highway?". The Hook. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
- ^ Answerman (February 22, 2004). "Decoding MD + VA + DC". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 19, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- ^ Sophia Barnes (July 17, 2021). "Lee Highway in Arlington County Renamed Langston Boulevard". NBC 4 Washington. Archived from the original on November 1, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.