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Photo: Leaving the south end of the farm segment of VA 331, which was still unpaved when I visited (photo by Mapmikey, January 17, 2007)
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Creation: The Virginia Teachers College in Harrisonburg received
0.82 miles of state mileage in 1932 and probably received a number in
1938. Appears on VDOT maps in 1988 (first year Harrisonburg insets
returned to official state maps), which show VA 331 in campus areas
west of I-81; This is the 2nd VA 331.
Adjustments: In May 1940 (CTB), the mileage of VA 331 was increased to 0.712 miles on the Madison College campus and also a separate 0.4 mile section off SR 659 (now VA 253) near Port Republic serving what is now the JMU farm was created. In March 1952 (CTB), an unspecified length of VA 331 was removed from the primary system. In Nov 1970 (CTB), 1.11 miles of unspecified roads were added to VA 331. Around 1994, VA 331 was expanded east of I-81, on University Blvd. from a bit west of Driver Dr. near SR 659 to SR 710 Reservoir Rd with a connection across I-81 via Carrier Dr.
Posting: No postings in the Harrisonburg area (see comment); I drove by the Port Republic section on 4/21/02, and there were 331 mini-circle signs (similar to how SR's are posted out there). It was still posted this way until between 2012-15. Comment: The farm segment was still not paved as late as 2018 (GMSV), though there is a paved parking lot at the end of the road per satellite views. Information from TS Smith: VA 331 in the independent city of Harrisonburg does not have an interchange with I-81. This route is not marked in Harrisonburg. Also, VA 331 appears south of Harrisonburg, just north of the unincorporated town of Port Republic, leading west from SR 659. This route IS marked by a rectangular sign. This route leads to a farm associated with JMU. As to why they used the same number, I'm not sure. This is the only example I can think of where a college route number is used at a remote location of some unit of the campus. For instance, the Virginia Arboretum (Blandy Farm) in Boyce is part of UVA, but its road is SR 750. Community Colleges with multiple campuses get different numbers at each campus. Kevin MacNutt offered this comment in February 2005: To give some further information on VA 331 for James Madison University, for as long as I can remember the farm route had always been marked with the county style 331 sign. In the 1980's a similar sign existed within the city of Harrisonburg back when University Blvd. ended at Reservoir Street, before it was extended to US 33 in 1988 (incidentally, that section of Reservoir Street was a one lane road running though farm fields back then; it is now four lanes wide as well as being urban sprawl central). From US 33 until about a 1/2 mile South of Reservoir Street, VA 331 has been swallowed by the city of Harrisonburg as well as the continuous eastward movement of urban sprawl. The State Teachers College at Harrisonburg became Madison College in 1938 and JMU in 1976. | |||||
| Previous VA 331's: 1928 ROUTE LOG WV STATE LINE: 0 - 0 US 11, VA 33: 18 - 18 |
VA 331 #1: Created in 1923 as a renumbering of the original VA 15.. Ran from VA 33 (curr US 11) Woodstock west to WV.
This was renumbered as VA 824 in August 1928. Today it is VA 42 out to Columbia Furnace, and SR 675-717-691 and Forest Road 252 which turns to a jeep trail to WV just west of the WV CR 59 state line crossing. If one were following old WV 59 east to the Virginia line the gravel road in Virginia across the ridges that descends to SR 691 is NOT the original VA 15/331/824. VA 331 is shown erroneously on the 1923 Official as VA 15.
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