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The James River in the U.S. State of Virginia is 660 km (410 miles) long including its Jackson River source and drains a Watershed comprising 27,019 km&2 (10,432 square miles). The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million people (2000). It is the tenth longest river in the United States that remains entirely in a single state. GEOGRAPHY, WATERSHED The James River forms in the Allegheny Mountains , near Iron Gate on the border between Alleghany and Botetourt counties from the Confluence of the Cowpasture and Jackson River s, and flows into the Chesapeake Bay at Hampton Roads . Tidal waters extend west to Richmond , the capital of Virginia, at its Fall Line , (the Head Of Navigation ). Larger tributaries draining to the tidal portion include the Appomattox River , Chickahominy River , Warwick River , Pagan River , Nansemond River , and Elizabeth River . HISTORY The Native Americans called the James River the Powhatan River. The English colonists named it "James" after King James I Of England , as they also constructed their first permanent English Settlement In The Americas in 1607 at Jamestown , along the banks of the James River. The upper reaches of the river were explored by fur trading parties sent by Abraham Wood during the late 17th century. Navigation of the river played an important role in early Virginia commerce and the settlement of the interior. Produce from the Piedmont and Great Valley regions traveled down the river to seaports at Richmond through such port towns as Lynchburg , Scottsville , Columbia and Buchanan . Below the falls at Richmond, many James River Plantations had their own wharfs, and additional ports and/or early railheads were located at Warwick , Bermuda Hundred , City Point , Claremont , Scotland , and Smithfield , and, during the 17th century, the capital of the Colony at Jamestown. James River and Kanawha Canal The James River was also considered as a route for transport of produce from the Ohio Valley . The James River And Kanawha Canal was built for this purpose, to provide a link between the James and the Kanawha River , a tributary of the Ohio River . However, before it could be fully completed, in the mid-19th century, Railroad s emerged as a more practical technology and eclipsed Canal s for economical transportation. In the 1880s, the Richmond And Allegheny Railroad was laid along the eastern portion of the canal's towpath. In modern times, this rail line serves as a water-level route of CSX Transportation , used primarily in transporting West Virginia coal to export Coal Pier s at Newport News . RECREATION The James River also contains numerous parks and other recreational attractions. Canoeing, fishing, kayaking, hiking, and swimming are some of the activities that people enjoy along the river during the summer. From the river's start in the Blue Ridge Mountains to Richmond, Virginia , numerous rapids and pools offer fishing and white water rafting. The most intense whitewater stretch is a 2 mile segment that ends in downtown Richmond where the river goes over the fall line. This is the only place in North America where at least class III (class IV with above average river levels) whitewater conditions exist within sight of skyscrapers. After the Fall Line and continuing east of Richmond, the river is better suited for water skiing and other large boat recreation. BRIDGES See Also: List of crossings of the James River (Virginia) Highway bridges below Richmond In the Hampton Roads area, the river is as much as five miles (8 km) wide at points. Due to ocean-going shipping upriver as far as the Port Of Richmond , a combination of Ferryboat s, high Bridge s and Bridge-tunnel s are used for highway traffic. Crossings east to west include:
The SR 895 high level crossing is the last bridge east of the Deepwater Port of Richmond and head of ocean-going navigation at the Fall Line of the James River. West of this point, potential flooding is more of an engineering concern than clearance for watercraft. Highway bridges at Richmond The following is a list of extant highway bridges across the James River with one or both ends within the City of Richmond.
Highway bridges west of Richmond The following is a partial, incomplete list of extant highway bridges across the James River west of Richmond.
U.S. Route 15 near Bremo Bluff, Virginia BICYCLES The , the City of Richmond requires bicycles to travel on the sidewalk for the length of the bridge. TRIVIA
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