Virginia State Route 172

State Route 172
Route information
Maintained by VDOT
Length:	4.85 mi[1] (7.81 km)
Existed:	1933 – present
Major junctions
South end:	SR 134 in Hampton
	SR 171 in Poquoson
North end:	Poquoson Avenue in Poquoson
Location
Counties:	City of Hampton, City of Poquoson
Highway system
Virginia Routes Interstate U.S. Primary Secondary Byways History Turnpikes ← SR 171 SR 173 →

State Route 172 (SR 172) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs 4.85 miles (7.81 km) from SR 134 in Hampton north to Poquoson Avenue in Poquoson. SR 172 is the main north–south highway through Poquoson and the primary access road to Langley Air Force Base and NASA's Langley Research Center.

Route description

SR 172 begins at an interchange with SR 134 (Magruder Boulevard) in the northern part of the independent city of Hampton. The interchange is currently being changed from a trumpet interchange to a partial cloverleaf interchange to accommodate a westward extension of Commander Shepard Boulevard. SR 172 heads east as a four-lane divided highway on the highway named for Alan Shepard, the first American in space, and not after the main protagonist in the Mass Effect video game franchise. The state highway meets the northern end of Armistead Avenue, which leads to the main entrance of Langley Air Force Base, as it curves to the north. SR 172 intersects Langley Boulevard, the main entrance to Langley Research Center, then passes between the NASA research center and Langley Speedway. As the boulevard curves back to the west, shortly before reconnecting with SR 134, SR 172 turns north onto Wythe Creek Road.^[1][2]

SR 172 continues as a four-lane undivided highway until north of another gate to the research center, where the highway becomes two lanes. The state highway leaves the research center vicinity by crossing Brick Kiln Creek, a tributary of the Back River, into the city of Poquoson. SR 172 expands to a five-lane road with center turn lane as it approaches the center of Poquoson, where the highway intersects SR 171, which heads west as Victory Boulevard and east as Little Florida Road. The state highway reduces to three lanes just south of its northern terminus at Poquoson Avenue. The road continues north as Yorktown Road, which soon turns west while Hunts Neck Road continues north toward the northern extremity of Poquoson.^[1][2]

Major intersections

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
City of Hampton		0.00	0.00	SR 134 (Magruder Boulevard) to I‑64	Partial cloverleaf interchange
				To SR 134 / Commander Shepard Boulevard
City of Poquoson		3.99	6.42	SR 171 (Victory Boulevard / Little Florida Road) to I‑64 – Yorktown
		4.85	7.81	Yorktown Road / Poquoson Avenue	former SR 171 west / SR 172 east
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

1. "2010 Traffic Data". Virginia Department of Transportation. 2010. Retrieved 2011-11-22.
   • City of Hampton (PDF)
   • York County and City of Poquoson (PDF)
2. Google (2011-11-22). "Virginia State Route 172" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2011-11-22.

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

• Virginia Highways Project: VA 172