Driving through the Richmond Metro Area
From I-64 to Chippenham to Pocahontas 895, here are the key highways to drive like a local.
You’re in luck! Navigating across Richmond is fairly simple. While RVA can have commuter traffic delays, we don’t really have traffic. For anyone who’s driven to say, Hampton Roads or DC, you know what I mean.
As a commuter, you’ll become quite familiar with both interstates, 95 and 64. But here are a host of other key highways or byways that are just as integral to daily life. Below, here’s a quick primer on getting around the Richmond, Virginia, Metro Region.
And while it’s true, the majority of people these days (me included) just power up Waze or Apple Maps, it does pay to have a general understanding of where you are and where you need to go.
Key Interstates/Highways run through Richmond and surrounding counties.
I-95 runs north/south, touching Petersburg, Colonial Heights, Chesterfield, Richmond, Henrico and Hanover.
I-64 runs east/west, with access points in Eastern Henrico, the city, Central and Western Henrico, and Goochland
1-295 bypasses the city and connects to I-64 (to the north) and I-95 (to the south).
Rt 288 is a highway that runs through the southwestern portion of RVA; Route 195 (Downtown Expressway)
Rt. 195, also called the Downtown Expressway, offers a southwestern entry point into the city. This is a toll road.
Rt 76, also known as Powhite Parkway or just Powhite, connects Midlothian to I 195. This is a toll road.
Rt 895, also known as Pocahontas 895, is the newest highway in the region. It bypasses the city on the southeastern quadrant, connecting 95 and Chippenham (below) with I 295. This is a toll road.
State routes run through the region, and are named different things depending on where they are.
Rt 360 runs from Danville to Reedville and touches RVA as Hull street/Mechanicsville Turnpike/Richmond-Tappahannock Highway
Rt 250 starts in Ohio and ends in Richmond. Known primarily as Broad Street.
Rt 301 runs from Delaware to Florida, it’s the “child” of Rt 1. Coming up through Petersburg and Colonial Heights, it goes across the James River (Lee Bridge) and runs North through Henrico and Hanover.
Rt 1 is the longest running north-south road in the U.S., and covers the entire east coast. Merges with 301 outside Petersburg and splits just north of the city.
Rt. 33 is known as Mountain Road in the North and Staples Mill as it enters Henrico.
Rt. 60 cross the state east to west, known as Midlothian Turnpike in RVA.
Rt. 150, known as Chippenham Parkway, runs across Chesterfield County, connecting 95 and 895 in the southeast to Parham road in Henrico County.