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From:TN State Line at Weber City (Scott County)
To: KY State Line, above Pound (Wise County)
Total Length: 69 miles
Nationally US 23 runs from US 17 Jacksonville, FL to I-75 Mackinaw City, MI - nearly miles
Business Routes: Gate City (since 1968-70), Wise (since 1968-70), Pound (since 1968-70), Big Stone Gap/Appalachia (since 1990), Norton (since 1991) [Big Stone Gap/Appalachia/Norton combined to a single US 23 Bus in 1994]

ROUTE LOG
TN STATE LINE: 0 - 0
US 58 EB, US 421 SB: 3 - 3
US 23 Bus, US 58 Bus, US 421 Bus: 0.5 - 3.5
US 23 Bus, US 58 Bus, US 421 Bus: 4 - 7.5
VA 65: 10 - 17.5
US 58 WB, US 421 NB: 3 - 20.5
LE-SC LINE: 5 - 25.5
WI-LE LINE: 4 - 29.5
VA 387: 5 - 34.5
US 23 Bus, US 58 ALT WB: 0.5 - 35
NOR-WI LINE: 8 - 43
US 58 ALT EB, US 58 ALT Bus, VA 283: 4 - 47
WI-NOR LINE: 1 - 48
US 23 Bus: 1 - 49
US 23 Bus: 1 - 50
US 23 Bus: 2 - 52
US 23 Bus: 10 - 62
US 23 Bus: 3 - 65
KY STATE LINE: 4 - 69

Creation: US 23 did not appear in Virginia until 1930 or 1931. It originally entered Virginia from west of Appalachia, and continued to Gate City from there similar to today. The original alignment was a replacement of VA 106 #2 from KY to Appalachia, a multiplex with VA 11 to Big Stone Gap, a replacement of more of VA 106 #2 from Big Stone Gap to Clinchport, a multiplex of US 411 to Weber City, and a partial replacement of VA 108 #2 to TN.
Adjustments: In 1932, US 23 assumed its traditional Virginia routing, replacing all of VA 120 from KY (at Pound) south to Norton, and multiplexing with VA 11 to Big Stone Gap. The original routing from KY to Appalachia became VA 106 #3 (today this is VA 160).
Between 1968-70, US 23 was given a straight alignment between Duffield and Clinchport, leaving behind SR 871.
Posting: Fully posted; cutouts in Big Stone Gap and Norton. Gate City cutouts existed as late as 1992; error interstate cutout shield (all white) in Wise. Also, regular cutout in Wise made it to at least 2001.
Comments: US 23 is now 4-lane all the way through Virginia, the only non-interstate route that passes through Virginia that can say this.

US 23 ALT Proposed

Previous US 23 ALT's:		US 23 ALT: Appears in the June 1966 CTB Minutes as a proposed route, running from Gate City to Parsonage via VA 71, then via US 58 ALT to St. Paul, then via VA 63 to Fremont, then VA 83 to Haysi, then VA 80 to Breaks Interstate Park. This US 23 ALT would've met back up with US 23 in Shelbania, KY (current US 23/119-460 split). This convoluted route was never actually put in place, however.

Last Update: 19 August 2004

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