End of US highway 48

View a map showing this route.

Photo credits: Rich Cinquegrana; Dan Moraseski; Alex Nitzman; Eric Rosenberger

Approx. time period East terminus West terminus
2002-present Strasburg, VA Weston, WV

There was a US 48 among the original 1926 routes; it ran between US 99 at French Camp CA (outside Stockton) and US 101 at San Jose, and lasted only until 1931 (you can view photos here). In 1973 the second US 48 was commissioned. Originally it ran from Morgantown WV to the Willowbrook Road interchange (now exit 44) in Cumberland MD, but sometime in the 1980s it was extended eastward to Hancock. That route was decommissioned in 1991 and replaced with the I-68 designation (you can view photos here).

Modern US 48 was commissioned in 2002. Kind of interesting that all three US 48's have been less than 150 miles in length... and therefore (in my opinion) not really deserving of a two-digit number. The route is signed from I-81:

Nitzman, July 2004

Regarding the photos below, Eric writes:

"This picture faces west at the eastern terminus of US 48, near Strasburg VA (the Strasburg water tower is visible in the background). US 48 begins at the intersection of I-81 and VA hwy. 55, and is coincident with VA 55 to the West Virginia state line about 15 miles west of here; VA 55 continues east (behind the camera) to US 11 in Strasburg, and then for another 50 miles to US 29 in Gainesville VA. The road coming in from the right side of the picture is the exit ramp from I-81 South; I-81 passes below VA 55 a few feet behind the camera (the picture was taken from the edge of the overpass)."

Rosenberger, Apr. 2003

"US 48 is the designation given to Corridor H of the Appalachian Development Highway System, and as part of that system it is supposed to be a high-speed four-lane highway. West Virginia has, despite great controversy, committed to making this happen; however, Virginia currently has no intention of expanding the meandering two-lane road for the 15 miles between I-81 and the West Virginia state line. Thus, at least for the foreseeable future, US 48 will not be the major artery connecting I-81 and I-79 that was envisioned (contributing to the controversy in West Virginia and earning the project the nickname "Highway to Nowhere")."

As of June 2006, there is no mention of US 48 anywhere along the road in WV, with the exception of this sign:

Cinquegrana, June 2006

A WV DoT official has remarked that the road will not be signed as such until improvements are complete along most of the corridor.

Rosenberger, Apr. 2003

"This picture faces east at the western terminus of US 48, near Weston WV. US 48 begins at the intersection of I-79 (which runs along the overpass in the picture) and US 33/US 119, with which it is coincident until Buckhannon WV (where US 119 splits off to the north). US 33/119 continues west (behind the camera) as a two-lane road, connecting with US 19 in Weston. As yet, no US 48 signage is present anywhere in West Virginia, presumably because much of the road has yet to be built - although the entire route west of Elkins WV is complete."

Rosenberger, Apr. 2003

The photo below is from southbound I-79:

Moraseski, Apr. 2003

The west beginning of US 48 is to the right with US 33/119. If you take that exit, you loop around and come to a "Y" in the road:

Moraseski, Apr. 2003

Weston is to the left via 33/119, and US 48 begins to the right: co-signed with those routes, heading towards Buckhannon.