State Route 293 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs between intersections with U.S. Route 29 Business on the south and north sides of the independent city of Danville. SR 293 is the original alignment of US 29 through Danville, which has been twice bypassed: first by what is now US 29 Business and later by the current US 29 freeway.
Route description
SR 293 begins at a directional intersection with US 29 Business southwest of downtown Danville. There is no access to northbound SR 293 from southbound US 29 Business, which is named Memorial Drive north of the intersection, and is a continuation of West Main Street south toward US 29 and Greensboro. SR 293 heads east as West Main Street, a two-lane road that parallels Norfolk Southern Railway's Danville District. The state highway veers northeast away from the railroad and passes Averett University prior to its partial cloverleaf interchange with SR 86 adjacent to Danville Regional Medical Center. East of SR 86, SR 293 meets the northern end of South Main Street and becomes unappellated Main Street, which heads through the Danville Historic District. At the north end of downtown Danville, SR 293 intersects the eastern end of SR 413. Main Street splits to cross the Dan River on a pair of bridges collectively named the Main Street Bridge. Northbound SR 293 uses the three-lane bridge completed in 2005 and southbound SR 293 follows the two-lane bridge from the 1920s. Immediately to the north of the river, SR 293 intersects US 58 Business, which heads west as Riverside Drive and east as River Street. The intersection also serves as the western terminus of both US 360 and SR 360; the U.S. Highway heads east concurrent with US 58 Business toward US 58 and South Boston and the state-numbered highway runs concurrently with SR 293 on North Main Street. The two state highways diverge at a Y intersection, with SR 360 heading east toward Halifax as Richmond Boulevard. SR 293 expands to a five-lane road with center turn lane just south of its intersection with SR 41, then reaches its northern terminus at US 29 Business. The business route heads south as Piney Forest Road and north as a continuation of North Main Street toward Lynchburg.
