VA 321
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US 321
From:  Monticello Crossing (James City County)
To:  College of William & Mary, City of Williamsburg
Total Length:  at least 5.23 miles  






Creation:  It appears VA 321 was created around 1938. There is no specific reference in the CTB that I can find and William and Mary College did NOT receive mileage in July 1932 as other schools had. It is explicitly shown in the 1943 VDOT County Atlas as a 0.46-mile street which appears to be Stadium Dr and the northeastern third of Landrum Dr today connecting VA 31 (now VA 5) and US 60Z (now Richmond Rd) plus a second street (0.21 mi) which appears to be James Blair Dr from US 60Z to the first VA 321 segment. This is the 3rd VA 321.
Adjustments:  In Oct 1947, three segments of unidentified road totaling 0.167 miles were deleted from the system, while 0.649 miles of new roads including the veterans housing area were added to VA 321.
In April 1951 (CTB), four unidentified streets totaling 0.509 miles were added to VA 321.
In April 1955 (CTB), 0.570 more miles of unidentified driveways were added to VA 321.
In March 1958 (CTB), 0.205 miles of driveways described as north and south of the new Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall were added to VA 321. and
In Oct 1967 (CTB), VA 321 received 1.14 more miles of unidentified streets.
In March 1972 (CTB), 3 segments were added to VA 321: Campus Dr (I think this is Ukrop Way now) from the triangle below William and Mary Hall northeast to the Dillard St/Blair Ave jct. (0.19 mi); new construction extending Monticello Ave 0.80 miles to Ironbound Rd; Compton Dr from Monticello Av to William and Mary Hall parking lot (0.48 mi)

VA 321 (1946 James City County)
VA 321 original configuration
1946 James City County
VA 321 (1975 James City County)
VA 321 after several expansions
1975 James City County

In March 1977 (CTB), 0.08 miles of "Campus Dr between Campus Rd and Botetourt Dr" was removed from VA 321.
Around 2000, VA 321 was extended to the new VA 199 freeway and over to SR 613.  The 2000-01 official map shows part of this extension as VA 5 ALT, which apparently did not pan out.
VA 321 (1988 Official)
VA 321 ending at SR 615
1988 Official
VA 321 (2002 Official)
VA 321 extended to VA 199 and beyond
2002 Official

Posting:  Some posting outside campus, including the western end and reassurance markers at VA 199; also a reassurance marker east of SR 615 Ironbound Road (which according to Dave Montuori was still a cutout in the early 1980s)
Comment:  Includes most roads in the college.
Despite several changes, the 1958 James City County map shows the same as the 1946 one.
In January 2003 I got some info about VA 321's west end (thanks to Dan Ehlke):

Having just graduated from William & Mary in 2001, I recall many drives I took around the greater Williamsburg area. During my time down there, SR 321 (Monticello Avenue) was being extended out past SR 199. At the time of my graduation, it came to an abrupt end just past News Road (secondary 613), depositing drivers onto a small neighborhood street called Powhatan Secondary. There was another, shorter section of Monticello Avenue (which presumably would also take the 321 numbering) constructed from Centerville Rd/secondary 614 a little ways toward the east. Latest maps indicate that this section will eventually join up with the main route, and that it will all be extended past 614, finally ending at SR 5. Indeed, as of late 2001, construction had begun on the intersection with 5.


Dan updated the situation in July 2003:

The entire stretch of Monticello Avenue (part of which is signed VA 321) appears to now be complete between VA 199 and VA 5. However, about a half mile south/west of the junction with 199, signs have appeared marking the (new) roadway as secondary highway 5000.


Dave Montuori sent a message in June 2005 (previously verified by Froggie in 2004) that VA 321 definitely ended at SR 613 and SR 5000 picks up from there.
Previous VA 321's:

1926 ROUTE LOG
BEGIN VA 321: 0 - 0
US 15, VA 32: 2 - 2
END VA 321: 51 - 53



1933 ROUTE LOG
US 501, VA 18: 0 - 0
US 501, VA 18: 4 - 4
VA 321 #1:  Created in 1923 as a renumbering of VA 2 CONN, which was created by legislative action. Ran from VA 32 (probably the intersection of SR 615-631) Zion to Oilville.
In March 1924 (CTB), VA 321 was extended east 4 miles towards Richmond as new routing.
In January 1925 (CTB), VA 321 was extended east another 6 miles towards Richmond as new routing.
In May 1926 (CTB), VA 321 was extended 2 miles west toward Keswick from VA 32 and east 7.5 more miles towards Richmond.
In October 1926 (CTB), VA 321 was renumbered as an extended VA 41. Today it is SR 615; US 250; SR 607 loop: SR 626 loop; SR 659 to SR 653/601 loop; Three Chopt-Shannon Hill Rd; SR 699 loops; SR 606 to Hadensville; SR 609 to East Leake; SR 700 loop; SR 634 loops; SR 702/636 loop; SR 612/621 to Centerville.A lot of these loops are named "Three Chopt Roads" between Zion and Richmond which would be VA 321's routing.
VA 321 is erroneously still labeled as part of VA 2 on the 1923 Official.

VA 2 CONN (1923 Official)
VA 2 CONN still shown on 1923 Official
1923 Official
VA 321 (1924 Official)
VA 321 replaces VA 2 CONN
1924 Official
1926 Official
VA 41 replaces VA 321
1926 Official

VA 321 #2:  Appeared in December 1930 (CTB) as a newly numbered route. Was a loop from US 501/VA 18 South Boston to US 501/VA 18 near Halifax.
In July 1933, this became US 501 (which had been using current VA 129).
VA 321 (1932 Official)
VA 321 #2 appears at South Boston
1932 Official
VA 129 (1941-42 Official)
VA 321 replaced by US 501
1941-42 Official

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