State Route 41 marker

State Route 41

Franklin Turnpike
Route information
Maintained by VDOT
Length22.5 mi[1] (36.2 km)
ExistedJuly 1, 1933[2]–present
Major junctions
South end SR 360 near Danville
Major intersections US 29 near Danville
North end SR 57 in Callands
Location
CountryUnited States
StateVirginia
CountiesPittsylvania, City of Danville
Highway system
← SR 40→ SR 42

State Route 41 (SR 41) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known as Franklin Turnpike, the state highway runs 22.5 miles (36.2 km) from SR 360 northeast of Danville to SR 57 in Callands. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) officially designates the route north of U.S. Route 29 Business (US 29 Bus.) in Danville as a part of SR 41 but the Franklin Turnpike south and east of this point is signed as SR 41.[1][3]

Route description

View north at the south end of SR 41 at SR 360 and US 29 near Danville

SR 41 begins at a stop-controlled T-intersection with SR 360 (Old Richmond Road) in an unincorporated area of Pittsylvania County. The route starts as a four-lane divided highway and within 0.2 miles (0.32 km) of its southern terminus, it has an interchange with the US 29 freeway. After the interchange, SR 41 crosses over Falls Creek and a railroad on a 640-foot-long (200 m),[4] curved bridge. While traveling over the bridge, the route enters the city limits of Danville. The route has only a few driveways and one road intersection before its intersection with SR 293 (Main Street). The highway then heads northwest through a more residential neighborhood and intersects US 29 Bus. (Piney Forest Road) before leaving the independent city and reentering Pittsylvania County. SR 41 passes through the unincorporated communities of Mount Hermon and Pleasant Gap, where the highway crosses White Oak Mountain. The state highway curves west then veers north at Swansonville. SR 41 reaches its northern terminus at SR 57 (Callands Road) in Callands. The state highway follows the height of land north of the watershed of the Sandy River, which empties into the Dan River in Danville. To the north of SR 41 are the watersheds of Little Falls Creek east of White Oak Mountain and the Bannister River west of the mountain; these streams empty into the Dan River at Danville and near South Boston, respectively.[1][5]

History

Prior to 1949, the route continued north past VA 57 down what is now SR 969 Sago Road/Danville Turnpike into Franklin County, where it met up with what is now SR 890 Snow Creek Road, then VA 108.[6] This might explain why VA 40 east of Rocky Mount in Franklin County is named "Old Franklin Turnpike" while VA 41 is named Franklin Turnpike.

The route was truncated to its present northern terminus at SR 57 in 1949 due to low traffic counts.[7] In August 1962, the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) approved a motion to drop the 0.92-mile-long (1.48 km) segment of SR 41 between North Main Street (US 29) and Piney Forest Road (what was then Alt. US 29) at the same time major highways were constructed throughout downtown Danville.[8] Despite this truncation, the route continued to be signed to North Main Street.[9]

In 2001, the Franklin Turnpike Extension was approved by the CTB to be constructed. Initially, the new road was designated SR 265.[10] The portion of the extension from the US 29 interchange to SR 360 had already been completed when construction on the remainder of the extension began. The project (later renamed to East Franklin Turnpike and renumbered to be a part of SR 41) was completed in late 2011 at a cost of US$19,000,000.[4][11]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Pittsylvania​0.00.0 SR 360 (Old Richmond Road) – Halifax, Danville, RichmondSouthern terminus
​0.20.32 US 29 – Greensboro, LynchburgPartial cloverleaf interchange
City of Danville1.52.4 SR 293 (North Main Street)
2.43.9
 US 29 Bus. (Piney Forest Road)
PittsylvaniaCallands22.536.2 SR 57 (Callands Road) – Martinsville, ChathamNorthern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Google (July 17, 2014). "Virginia State Route 41" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  2. ↑ "New Numbers of Va. Highways Effective July 1". The Richmond Times-Dispatch. May 10, 1933. p. 5. Retrieved January 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ↑ "VDOT Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT)" (Shapefile). Virginia Department of Transportation. 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  4. 1 2 "CEREMONY TO MARK OPENING OF FRANKLIN TURNPIKE EXTENSION" (Press release). VDOT. October 3, 2011. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Daily Traffic Volume Estimates Jurisdiction Report: Pittsylvania County" (PDF). Virginia Department of Transportation. 2009. Retrieved 2011-07-15.
  6. ↑ Virginia State Highway Map Showing the Primary Highway System and Connections (Map). Richmond, VA: Virginia Department of Highways. July 1933.
  7. ↑ State Highway Commission of Virginia (April 19–20, 1949). "Minutes of Meeting" (PDF) (Report). Richmond: Commonwealth of Virginia. pp. 3–4. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  8. ↑ State Highway Commission of Virginia (August 23, 1962). "Minutes of Meeting" (PDF) (Report). Richmond: Commonwealth of Virginia. p. 16. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  9. ↑ Google (July 17, 2014). "Google StreetView image showing southern terminus of SR 41 in Nov. 2007" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  10. ↑ "MINUTES OF MEETING OF THE COMMONWEALTH TRANSPORTATION BOARD" (PDF). CTB. September 20, 2001. p. 4. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  11. ↑ Crane, John (October 24, 2011). "Franklin Turnpike connector to be open by Friday". WSLS-TV. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
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