VA 166
< VA 165 | Home | VA 166-Y | VA 167 >
VA 166
Photo: VA 166 northbound at VA 190 (photo by Mapmikey, 5/6/17)
From:  City of Chesapeake
To:  Little Creek (City of Virginia Beach)
Total Length:  14.92 miles  




ROUTE LOG
US 17: 0 - 0
VA 190: 1.50 - 1.50
US 13, US 460 WB: 0.69 - 2.19
VA 337: 2.80 - 4.99
VA 246: 0.56 - 5.55
Norfolk-Chesapeake Line: 0.39 - 5.94
VA 168 SB: 0.65 - 6.59
I-264 (exit 11): 0.75 - 7.34
US 460 EB, VA 168 NB: 0.28 - 7.62
US 58: 0.45 - 8.07
VA 404: 0.14 - 8.21
VA 194: 1.90 - 10.11
US 13 SB, VA 165 NB: 1.46 - 11.57
VA 165 SB: 0.10 - 11.67
I-64 (exit 282): 0.78 - 12.45
Virginia Beach-Norfolk Line: 0.20 - 12.65
US 13 NB: 0.95 - 13.60
VA 332: 0.40 - 14.00
US 60: 0.92 - 14.92

Creation:  VA 166 was created July 1933 as a renumbering of VA 504. It originally began at US 17 Deep Creek, then headed east on Cedar Rd to today's US 17, followed that across the Southern Branch Elizabeth River, then used Bainbridge Blvd north to VA 190. VA 166 then followed 190 through Great Bridge and ended at VA 165 Kempsville. This has been the only VA 166.

1931 Official
VA 504 from Deep Creek to Kempsville
1931 Official
VA 165 (1933 Official)
VA 166 replaces VA 504
1931 Official

Adjustments:  In March 1956 (CTB), VA 166 was rerouted near Gilmerton to use Bainbridge Blvd north to South Norfolk, then zig-zagged over to Campostella Rd crossing into Norfolk. VA 166 continued as it does today out Princess Anne Rd to VA 165, then Northampton Blvd. At Diamond Springs Rd, VA 166 used Shell Rd and Pleasure House Rd to end at US 60 near Chesapeake Beach.
In using this new route, VA 166 replaced VA 166Y; duplexed with US 460 into Norfolk; replaced VA 13Y on Princess Anne Rd; duplexed with US 13; replaced the other VA 13Y from Diamond Springs Rd to US 60.
The old routing through Great Bridge to Kempsville became VA 190.
About 1963, VA 166 was removed from Pleasure House Rd leaving behind SR 651 and instead was put on Northampton Blvd to meet US 60 a little further east.
In Feb 1964 (CTB), VA 166 and US 13 swapped routings such that VA 166 followed Diamond Springs Rd to US 60, while most of VA 166's route to Chesapeake Beach became secondary as US 13 was placed on Northampton Blvd.

VA 166 (1959 Official)
VA 166 sent into Norfolk...
1959 Official
VA 165 (1956 Official)
...and also out to Chesapeake Beach
1956 Official
VA 166 (1963 Official)
VA 166 sent further east
1963 Official
VA 165 (1965 Official)
VA 166 and US 13 swap places
1965 Official

In Aug 1965 (CTB), VA 166 south was truncated to Dominion Blvd. Cedar Rd became VA 165 while the road across S. Eliz River became VA 104 (now US 17).

VA 165 (1963 Official)
VA 166 ending at Deep Creek
1963 Official
VA 165 (1967 Official)
VA 165 replaces VA 166 to Deep Creek
1967 Official

In 2014, VA 166's south end was moved to Dominion Blvd across from Dominion Lakes Blvd at a new interchange with US 17. The previous alignment down to US 17 near the Elizabeth River drawbridge is Bainbridge Point Rd.
Improvements:  Paved upon inception;
The first piece of VA 166 to be multilaned was when it was placed on Princess Anne Rd and Northampton Blvd in 1956.
In 1960 or 1961, VA 166 was widened on its US 460 duplex north of the Elizabeth River in Norfolk.
VA 166 became multilaned when it was placed on Diamond Springs Rd in 1964.
In 1983 or 1984, VA 166 was widened on its Park Ave piece
In 1990, VA 166 was widened from the Elizabeth River south to near VA 246.
In fall 2020, VA 166 was removed from a dogleg in South Norfolk at VA 246 using a bit of Liberty St and 22nd St to reach the bridge over the railroad. Now Poindexter connects directly to a new bridge which ties into the original rotuing halfway across the bridge.
Posted:  Fully posted in Chesapeake and Norfolk. Until the 2010s there were no VA 166 shields in Virginia Beach when one was finally installed on Northampton Blvd announcing 166's left turn onto Diamond Springs Rd. Daniel Greenstein reports that now (Aug 2020) there are VA 166 shields from 3 directions at this intersection. Still no VA 166 postings at US 60, though.
In a real oddity, there have been VA 166 shields on both directions of Weslyan Dr at Diamond Springs Rd since 1992 (one set still there as of 2020). This is well south of Northampton Blvd and has never been part of VA 166.
VA 166 is not fully posted following US 460 in the zig-zag turns at VA 246.
VA 166 is not mentioned from I-64 at the Northampton Blvd interchange even though VA 166 was there when I-64 opened.
Multiplexes:  None
Legislative names:  None
Other names:  Bainbridge Blvd (Chesapeake); Poindexter St/22nd St/Wilson Rd/Campostella Rd (South Norfolk); Brambleton Ave/Park Ave/Princess Anne Rd (Norfolk); Northampton Blvd (Norf/VA Beach); Diamond Springs Rd (Virginia Beach)
Scenic Byway:  No segments
Comment:  VA 166 is blown off by I-64 and I-464 in the City of Chesapeake.
The Princess Anne Rd segment may still have some original concrete on it, as does Diamond Springs Rd.


Previous: VA 165  |  Next: VA 166-Y | VA 167
Top  |  Virginia Hwy Index Home

Tennessee
Highways

Page last modified 17 March 2022