community of Rawley Springs. After traveling from Rawley Springs, reaches the independent city of Harrisonburg and intersects major routes State Route 42 (SR 42), US 11, and I-81 before leaving the city. The four-lane highway passes around the southernmost end of Massanutten Mountain, towards Elkton. There, it intersects US 340. After leaving Elkton, the highway heads towards the Blue Ridge Mountains, once it gets to the mountains, it reduces to two lanes and becomes three lanes a few times. At Swift Run Gap it intersects Skyline Drive and enters Greene County. After going down the mountains, it goes back to four lanes and heads south of Stanardsville. After that, the route heads southeast towards US 29 in Ruckersville. After that, it heads south east and enters Orange County. It heads east north of the Albemarle County line and intersects SR 20 on a concurrency. After that, it goes through a small part of the Southwest Mountains towards Gordonsville. It goes on a roundabout with US 15 and SR 231. US 33 heads east with US 15 and into Louisa County. Shortly after, US 33 splits from US 15 and heads southeast towards Louisa. In Trevilians, it intersects SR 22.The route then goes east toward Montpelier. In Montpelier, the route goes southeast towards Interstate 295. After I-295, US 33 goes a few miles to an interchange with I-64. Just after, the route meets US 250. The two routes head southeast into Downtown Richmond. Both meet their eastern terminus there. From Richmond, "Route 33" continues east as SR 33 across the Atlantic coastal plain through the Tidewater region of the Middle Peninsula to reach the Chesapeake Bay at Stingray Point just east of Deltaville. History The US 33 designation was established January 1, 1938; it and the Blue and Gray Trail were dedicated on May 2 of that year in multiple ceremonies. At the time, US 33 extended into the state of Michigan near Niles up to a terminus in St. Joseph, following US 31. In November 1960, US 33 was extended to a junction with I-196/US 31 near Lake Michigan Beach, north of St. Joseph. In 1986, the highway was truncated south of Niles to the junction with US 12. In April 1998, it was truncated again to Elkhart, Indiana. Before its second truncation, it passed through Mishawaka and South Bend. Former segments of US 33 are now known as M-63,