Virginia State Route 72

State Route 72 (SR 72) is a primary state highway in the southwest part of the U.S. state of Virginia. It runs from SR 71 in Gate City north to SR 65 at Fort Blackmore, northeast with SR 65 to Dungannon, and north via Coeburn to SR 83 near Clintwood.

State Route 72
Route information
Maintained by VDOT
Length49.19 mi[1][2][3] (79.16 km)
ExistedJuly 1, 1933[4]–present
Tourist
routes		 Virginia Byway
Major junctions
South end SR 71 in Gate City
  SR 65 in Dungannon

US 58 Alt. in Coeburn
North end SR 83 near Clintwood
Location
CountiesScott, Wise, Dickenson
Highway system
← SR 71→ SR 73

Route description
View north at the south end of SR 72 at SR 71 in Gate City

SR 72 begins at SR 71 in Slabtown, east of downtown Gate City. The intersection of the two routes lies on the town limits of Gate City. It heads north across the Moccasin Ridge via some small creek valleys and crosses Copper Creek at Williams Mill. SR 72 continues north across Copper Ridge and into the Clinch River valley, where it meets SR 65. SR 65 and SR 72 overlap, paralleling the Clinch River to Dungannon. After the two routes split, SR 72 continues to follow the river to the northeast, but then splits in order to cross Stone Mountain.[5]

The land flattens out near the Scott–Wise county line, and SR 72 continues northwest and north across the Guest River and past Maytown to an interchange with U.S. Route 58 Alternate within the town limits of Coeburn. Signage in Coeburn directs through traffic on SR 72 to use US 58 Alt. to Front and Second Streets west of downtown Coeburn rather than using the official route on Front Street. Just 0.1 miles (0.16 km) past the interchange, SR 72 reaches SR 158 at a signalized intersection. SR 72 turns west with SR 158, formerly US 58 Alt. until a bypass around Coeburn was built, and then splits to the north. It runs alongside small creeks, passing Bondtown and Cranes Nest on its way to Fuller Gap, where it crosses Guest Mountain and the Tennessee Valley Divide. It then descends through small creek valleys and alongside the Cranes Nest River to the Dickenson County line.[5]

SR 72 continues along the Cranes Nest River, but splits to cross a small ridge at Hibbitts Gap. Then it continues northerly alongside small creeks, past Darwin to its end at SR 83 at Georges Fork, west of Clintwood.[5]

History

The road from Coeburn north to Clintwood was part of the original state highway system designated in 1918, as a spur of SR 11 (now US 58 Alt.).[6] In the 1923 renumbering it became part of SR 114, which continued east from Clintwood to Haysi. The piece south of Clintwood was renumbered SR 122 in the 1928 renumbering, and that same year it was extended south from Clintwood to Dungannon and southeast to end at SR 107 (now SR 71).[7] SR 122 was renumbered SR 72 in the 1933 renumbering. In 1949, the section south of Dungannon was transferred to the secondary system as SR 774, due to its "local character and very low traffic volume" of 187 per day.[8] (SR 774 now carries about 360 vehicles per day.[1]) SR 72 was extended in 1986, running southwest on SR 65 to Fort Blackmore and then south to SR 71 in Gate City, taking over parts of SR 619, SR 676, SR 661, SR 710, and SR 660.[9]

Major intersections
CountyLocationmi[10]kmDestinationsNotes
ScottGate City0.000.00 SR 71 (Nickelsville Highway / East Jackson Street) – Nickelsville, Gate City
Fort Blackmore10.7817.35 SR 65 south (Clinch River Highway) / SR 619 (Old Route 72) – ClinchportSouthern end of SR 65 concurrency
Dungannon19.1730.85 SR 65 north (Sinking Creek Highway) – St. Paul, Gate CityNorthern end of SR 65 concurrency
WiseCoeburn30.5949.23
US 58 Alt. – Norton		Interchange; exit 2 (US 58 Alt.)
30.7849.54 SR 158 east (Front Street)Southern end of SR 158 concurrency
31.4350.58 SR 158 west (Front Street)Northern end of SR 158 concurrency
DickensonGeorges Fork49.1979.16 SR 83 (Dickenson Highway) – Pound, Clintwood, Breaks Interstate Park
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References
  1. "2005 Virginia Department of Transportation Jurisdiction Report - Daily Traffic Volume Estimates - Scott County" (PDF). (269 KB)
  2. "2005 Virginia Department of Transportation Jurisdiction Report - Daily Traffic Volume Estimates - Wise County" (PDF). (247 KB)
  3. "2005 Virginia Department of Transportation Jurisdiction Report - Daily Traffic Volume Estimates - Dickenson County" (PDF). (146 KB)
  4. "New Numbers of Va. Highways Effective July 1". The Richmond Times-Dispatch. May 10, 1933. p. 5. Retrieved January 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Google (August 6, 2014). "Virginia State Route 72" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  6. State Highway Commission of Virginia (July 5, 1922). Minutes of the First Meeting of the State Highway Commission Created Under the Acts of 1922 (PDF) (Report). Richmond, VA: Commonwealth of Virginia., Proposed "State Highway System" for Virginia, as Recommended by the State Roads Committee, January, 1918
  7. State Highway Commission of Virginia (August 9–10, 1928). Minutes of Meeting (PDF) (Report). Richmond, VA: Commonwealth of Virginia. pp. 12–13.
  8. State Highway Commission of Virginia (April 19–20, 1949). Minutes of Meeting (PDF) (Report). Roanoke and Richmond, VA: Commonwealth of Virginia. p. 3.
  9. State Highway and Transportation Board (May 15, 1986). Minutes of Meeting (PDF) (Report). Richmond, VA: Commonwealth of Virginia. p. 2.
  10. "VDOT Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT)" (Shapefile). Virginia Department of Transportation. 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2014.

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1928–1933		 SR 123 >
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