Palmer Springs to Petersburg US 1 enters southeastern
Mecklenburg County from
Warren County, North Carolina, east of
Palmer Springs, north of
Wise, North Carolina, and north of an interchange between I-85 and US 1 between Wise and the state line. The U.S. Route heads north as a two-lane road, passes to the east of Palmer Springs, and crosses
Lake Gaston, an impoundment of the
Roanoke River. North of the lake, the highway gains an intermittent second lane northbound to its junction with
US 58 at
Big Fork. The U.S. Routes run concurrently northeast along a four-lane road with center turn lane to the southwestern edge of South Hill, where the highway expands to a four-lane divided highway shortly before US 1 and
US 58 Business (US 58 Bus.) split northeast from US 58. The mainline highway and business route enter the town of South Hill along Danville Street, a two-lane road with center turn lane. As the highways approach downtown South Hill, the center turn lane ends. In downtown, US 1 and US 58 Bus. turn north onto Mecklenburg Avenue next to historic
Colonial Theatre, then US 58 Bus. turns east onto Atlantic Street;
SR 47 heads west from the intersection on Atlantic Street. US 1 gains a center turn lane again northeast of downtown. The U.S. Route meets the southern end of
SR 138 (Union Mill Road), then expands to a four-lane divided highway for its four-ramp
partial cloverleaf interchange with I-85 before leaving the town of South Hill. US 1 continues northeast as a three-lane road that alternates between two lanes northbound, two lanes southbound, and a center turn lane. The route expands to a four-lane divided highway after entering
Brunswick County, where the highway's name becomes Boydton Plank Road, and before crossing the
Meherrin River. US 1 reduces to a three-lane road and passes through
Meredithville. At
Cochran, the highway intersects
SR 46 (Christanna Highway) just south of the Christanna Campus of
Southside Virginia Community College. US 1 expands to a four-lane divided highway; the southbound lanes pass under a narrow former railroad bridge. The highway has a
diamond interchange with I-85, then passes through the southern edge of the town of
Alberta, where the U.S. Route meets the eastern end of
SR 136 (Church Street). East of Alberta, US 1 becomes three lanes and passes through the adjacent communities of
Warfield and
Sturgeonville and to the east of
Rawlings before expanding to a four-lane divided highway immediately before crossing the
Nottoway River into
Dinwiddie County. US 1 reduces to three lanes a short distance north of the river and passes through the town of
McKenney, where the highway intersects
SR 40 (Doyle Boulevard). The highway passes through
DeWitt, then expands to a four-lane divided highway and crosses a former railroad line. US 1 crosses
Stony Creek and drops to three lanes as it enters the county seat of
Dinwiddie and passes
Dinwiddie County Court House. Northeast of Dinwiddie, US 1 passes under I-85 with no access and meets the eastern end of Airport Street, which comprises the westernmost segment of
US 460 Bus. that connects US 1 with I-85 and US 460 and, to the west of the Interstate,
Dinwiddie County Airport. US 1 and US 460 Bus. pass
Pamplin Historical Park, which preserves the
Petersburg Breakthrough Battlefield, then cross over
Norfolk Southern Railway's
Norfolk District rail line. The routes expand to a four-lane divided highway at its intersection with
SR 142 (Simpson Road), then they meet I-85 and US 460 at a six-ramp partial cloverleaf interchange. US 1 and US 460 Bus. reduce to two lanes plus center turn lane and pass along the western and northern sides of
Central State Hospital; on their curve east, the routes meet the eastern end of
SR 226 (Cox Road). East of the hospital complex, the highways enter the
independent city of Petersburg.
Petersburg to Richmond US 1 and US 460 Bus. enter Petersburg along Washington Street, a four-lane road with center turn lane. After passing under
CSX Transportation's
North End Subdivision rail line, the highways split into a
one-way pair, with northbound US 1 and eastbound US 460 Bus. using Wythe Street and southbound US 1 and westbound US 460 Bus. using Washington Street. US 1 and US 460 Bus. pass through residential
Folly Castle Historic District, which includes
Second Presbyterian Church on Washington Street, and
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Commercial and Industrial Historic District. Eastbound
SR 36 joins the eastbound concurrency at Market Street within smaller
South Market Street Historic District.
US 301 Alternate (US 301 Alt.) joins both directions at Sycamore Street; one block to the east—a block that contains
Washington Street Methodist Church—US 1 and US 301 Alt. turn north onto four-lane Adams Street. The two U.S. Routes pass between commercial
Petersburg Courthouse Historic District, which contains the
namesake judicial building, and residential
Centre Hill Historic District, which contains the
eponymous mansion and museum. US 1 continues into
Petersburg Old Town Historic District, where the highway intersects Bank and Bolingbrook streets, which is the northern terminus of US 301 Alt. Southbound US 301 leaves US 1 at Bank Street, northbound US 301 joins US 1 at Bolingbrook Street, and Bolingbrook Street also carries westbound SR 36. North of Bolingbrook Street, US 1 and US 301 cross the
Appomattox River on the
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Bridge. On the bridge, the U.S. Routes have an intersection with Bridge Street, which leads to Pocahontas Island and
its namesake historic district. US 1 and US 301 enter the independent city of
Colonial Heights along Boulevard, a four-lane street with center turn lane. Shortly after this point, US 1 reaches the halfway point between Key West and Fort Kent. The highways pass along the western edge of residential
Chesterfield Highlands Historic District before intersecting
SR 144 (Temple Avenue), which joins the U.S. Routes. The three highways pass under CSX Transportation's North End Subdivision, then cross
Swift Creek into
Chesterfield County, where SR 144 splits northwest onto Harrowgate Road at
Pickadat Corner. US 1 and US 301 continue along four-lane Jefferson Davis Highway, which passes under the CSX Transportation rail line and intersects
SR 10 (West Hundred Road) on the eastern edge of
Chester. The U.S. Routes briefly expand to a divided highway at the SR 10 intersection and within the highway's
cloverleaf interchange with
SR 288 (World War II Veterans Memorial Highway), which ends at I-95 (Richmond–Petersburg Turnpike) a short distance to the east. US 1 and US 301 expand to a divided highway at their junction with
SR 145 (Chester Road), cross over CSX Transportation's
Bellwood Subdivision, and pass to the east of
Defense Supply Center, Richmond, as they pass through
Bellwood. As they pass through
Bensley, the U.S. Routes cross over
Falling Creek, across which sits an
abandoned bridge between the two carriageways. North of Falling Creek, US 1 and US 301 expand to six lanes and have a cloverleaf interchange with
SR 150 (Chippenham Parkway), which leads east to I-95 and
SR 895 (Pocahontas Parkway), which leads to
Richmond International Airport. Between SR 150 and
SR 161 (Bells Road), the U.S. Routes enter the city of Richmond. US 1 and US 301 continue into the
Manchester neighborhood, where the highways intersect
US 360 (Hull Street) and veer onto Cowardin Avenue, which passes along the western edge of the
Manchester Residential and Commercial Historic District. The highways intersect
US 60 (Semmes Avenue), then veer north onto the
Robert E. Lee Memorial Bridge, which the bifurcated
James River and
Belle Isle. The bridge also crosses Norfolk Southern Railway's
Richmond District railyard on the south side of the river and CSX Transportation's
Rivanna Subdivision on the north side. On either end of the bridge are partial interchanges: Riverside Drive on the south side of the river accessible from the southbound direction and Second Street from the northbound direction; Second Street leads to
Downtown Richmond and the
Tredegar Iron Works. US 1 and US 301 follow Belvidere Street along the east side of
Oregon Hill. The highways intersect Byrd and Cumberland streets, a one-way pair that provide access to
SR 195 (Downtown Expressway) in between. US 1 and US 301 continue through the Monroe Park campus of
Virginia Commonwealth University, within which the highways intersect
SR 147—Cary Street eastbound and Main Street westbound—and veer northeast at
Monroe Park. The U.S. Routes intersect
US 250 (Broad Street) on the western edge of the
Broad Street Commercial Historic District. US 1 and US 301 intersect
SR 33 (Leigh Street) immediately before their incomplete partial cloverleaf interchange with
I-64 and I-95 (Richmond–Petersburg Turnpike). There is no access from the southbound route to westbound I-64 and northbound I-95. Access to the U.S. Routes from that direction of the Interstate is via Chamberlayne Parkway, with which the routes have a partial interchange as they cross over CSX Transportation's Richmond Terminal Subdivision rail line.
Richmond to Fredericksburg US 1 and US 301 continue along Chamberlayne Avenue through the northern part of the city. The highways reduce to four lanes and intersect
SR 197 (Laburnum Avenue) within
Ginter Park. At Azalea Avenue, US 301 and
SR 2 continue straight on Chamberlayne Avenue; US 1 turns west onto Azalea Avenue, then north on Brook Road and leaves the city of Richmond and enters
Henrico County. The highway has a partial interchange with I-95 (Richmond–Petersburg Turnpike) that allows access to southbound I-95 and from northbound I-95. US 1 becomes undivided north of the eastern end of SR 161 (Hillard Road) to the east of
Lakeside. The route expands to a six-lane divided highway ahead of its intersection with Parham Road at
Yellow Tavern; Parham Road heads east as
SR 73, a connector between US 1 and I-95. US 1 has a cloverleaf interchange with
I-295 between
Glen Allen and the I-95–I-295 junction before the U.S. Route crosses the
Chickahominy River into
Hanover County. US 1's name changes to Washington Highway, and it becomes a four-lane undivided highway shortly after entering Hanover County. The highway has brief divided sections as it passes through the eastern part of town of
Ashland. Within the town, US 1 intersects
SR 54 (England Street) and passes to the east of the
Ashland Historic District and
Randolph–Macon College. After leaving Ashland, US 1 crosses to the west side of CSX Transportation's
RF&P Subdivision and crosses over the
South Anna River. North of the
Little River, the route passes through
Doswell, where it meets the western end of
SR 30 (Kings Dominion Boulevard). US 1 crosses over the
Piedmont Subdivision, which is owned by CSX Transportation and operated by
Buckingham Branch Railroad, west of the Doswell Diamond, then briefly expands to a divided highway to cross the
North Anna River into
Caroline County. US 1 continues as Jefferson Davis Highway and meets the western end of
SR 207 (Rogers Clark Boulevard) at the hamlet of Carmel Church west of
Ruther Glen; SR 207 leads to US 301 at
Bowling Green and thence along that U.S. Route to the
Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge. US 1 passes through
Golansville,
Ladysmith, and
Cedon before entering
Spotsylvania County. The highway crosses the
Matta River south of
Thornburg and the
Po and
Ni rivers to the north of the hamlet. US 1 passes through
Massaponax, the site of
Massaponax Baptist Church, then expands to a six-lane divided highway at Spotsylvania Parkway, which leads to
Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center. The U.S. Route is joined by
US 17 (Mills Drive) south of their five ramp partial cloverleaf interchange with I-95, where US 17 joins the Interstate to bypass Fredericksburg. US 1 continues with four lanes to
Four Mile Fork, where the highway meets the northern end of
SR 208 (Courthouse Road) and the southern end of
US 1 Bus. (Lafayette Boulevard), which serves the
Fredericksburg Historic District and the Fredericksburg Unit of
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. US 1 continues north flanked by service roads to where it enters the independent city of Fredericksburg. The highway meets
SR 3 (William Street) at a cloverleaf interchange, passes under a pedestrian bridge along the edge of the
University of Mary Washington, and crosses over the Rappahannock Canal. US 1 meets the northern end of US 1 Bus. and
US 17 Bus. (Princess Anne Street) immediately before US 1 and US 17 Bus. cross the
Rappahannock River into
Stafford County.
Fredericksburg to the Arlington–DC border US 17 Bus. diverges onto Warrenton Road at a four-way intersection that also serves as the western end of
SR 218 (Butler Road) in the center of
Falmouth and
its historic district, which contains
Gari Melchers Home and Studio,
Conway House,
Union Church and Cemetery,
Carlton, and
Clearview. US 1 has a grade-separated junction with SR 8900 (Centreport Parkway), which serves
Stafford Regional Airport, before crossing
Potomac Creek. The highway passes
Stafford Training School and passes through the county seat of
Stafford. North of Stafford, the highway briefly divides into two carriageways with a wide median. The directions of US 1 come back together and approach I-95; ramps to and from northbound I-95 connect directly with US 1 as part of the Interstate's cloverleaf interchange with
SR 610 (Garrisonville Road) just west of the historic
Aquia Church. US 1 crosses
Aquia Creek and passes through the village of
Aquia. North of Aquia, US 1 enters the property of
Marine Corps Base Quantico, within which the highway crosses
Chopawamsic Creek into
Prince William County. Immediately north of the county line, the route has a partial cloverleaf interchange with Russell Road, a major highway within the military base. US 1 passes the
National Museum of the Marine Corps before its intersection at
Triangle with
SR 619 (Fuller Road), which leads east to the town of
Quantico. At SR 619, US 1 leaves the base property and briefly expands to a six-lane divided highway, then splits onto separate carriageways—Fraley Boulevard northbound and Main Street southbound—to pass through the town of
Dumfries, within which the U.S. Route crosses
Quantico Creek. The carriageways reunite and US 1 meets the eastern end of
SR 234 (Dumfries Road) at the northern limit of the town. The Dumfries Road Commuter Lot, a
park-and-ride facility, is located north of this intersection. US 1 crosses
Neabsco Creek into the large
unincorporated area of
Woodbridge near the Woodbridge Campus of
Northern Virginia Community College. The U.S. Route meets the eastern end of
SR 294 (Prince William Parkway) and begins to parallel the RF&P Subdivision rail line. US 1 passes
Woodbridge station, which is served by
Amtrak and
Virginia Railway Express, shortly before its junction with
SR 123 (Gordon Boulevard). The highway then crosses the
Occoquan River into
Fairfax County. US 1 continues as Richmond Highway through a partial interchange with I-95 at the southern end of Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway. The interchange includes ramps from northbound US 1 to northbound I-95, southbound US 1 to southbound I-95, northbound I-95 to northbound US 1, and southbound I-95 to southbound US 1. At the north end of the interchange, US 1 passes under the RF&P Subdivision rail line and passes through the eastern fringe of
Lorton, where it meets the northern end of
SR 242 (Gunston Road). At
Pohick Creek, the highway expands to six lanes and heads east and passes
Pohick Church, then through
Fort Belvoir. Within the military property, US 1 crosses
Accotink Creek, meets the southern end of
SR 286 (Fairfax County Parkway), and passes under an overpass of a road within the base. East of Fort Belvoir, the highway passes the historic plantation
Woodlawn and the western end of
SR 235 (Mount Vernon Memorial Highway), which leads to
Mount Vernon. US 1 is reduced to a four-lane undivided highway before it crosses
Dogue Creek and until it meets the eastern end of SR 235 (Mount Vernon Highway) just west of
Little Hunting Creek. US 1 expands to six lanes as it curves north through
Hybla Valley and
Groveton. On the southern edge of
Huntington, the U.S. Route has a tangent intersection with Kings Highway, which heads north as
SR 241. US 1 veers northeast and expands to eight lanes at Huntington Avenue and maintains that width until its major interchange with the
Capital Beltway (I-95 and
I-495) at
Cameron Run on the boundary between Fairfax County and the independent city of Alexandria. The interchange includes several flyovers and provides partial access to the express and local lanes of the beltway in both directions. US 1 continues north as a six-lane divided Patrick Street into
Old Town Alexandria, which, at Wilkes Street, splits into a one-way pair, Patrick Street northbound and Henry Street southbound. The highway intersects
SR 236 (Duke Street) and
SR 7 (King Street) within Old Town. North of Montgomery Street, the directions come together as Henry Street, which crosses the Monroe Avenue Bridge over the RF&P Subdivision rail line and the
Washington Metro's
Blue and
Yellow lines. US 1 again becomes Richmond Highway (changed from
Jefferson Davis Highway in 2019) north of the railroad tracks. The four-lane divided highway, which contains the
Metroway bus rapid transit course in its median, passes between
Potomac (and the
Del Ray neighborhood) to the west and a large residential and commercial development built on what was formerly
Potomac Yard to the east. Metroway merges with the main streams of US 1 traffic, which expand to three lanes each way as the highway approaches the northern city limit at
Four Mile Run. The U.S. Route leaves Alexandria for Arlington County and has an intersection with the southern end of
SR 120 (Glebe Road). US 1—again bearing the name Richmond Highway—continues through the
urban village of
Crystal City, where the highway has a
trumpet interchange with
SR 233, a connector to
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The route becomes a freeway north of 20th Street South and has a diamond interchange with 15th Street south on the eastern edge of
Pentagon City. US 1 then joins I-395 on Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway via a pair of flyover ramps; Richmond Highway continues north as
SR 110, which passes by
the Pentagon and
Arlington National Cemetery on its way to
Rosslyn. I-395 and US 1, which have 12 lanes over four carriageways, have a partial cloverleaf interchange with Clark Street and Boundary Channel Drive and another interchange with the
George Washington Memorial Parkway before the two highways cross the Potomac River into the
District of Columbia on the
14th Street bridges complex. ==History==