Whoops! I goofed. I didn't realize you were in Richmond. I had the impression you were somewhere in the Roanoke-Lynchburg area.
11 was, of course, the main highway. I liked 42 because it avoided most of the towns and the traffic was light. 60 to Charleston was a night's work, all by itself. You're right, there were no good ways from Richmond to Charleston before they put 64 in.
If you're in Richmond, we have an even more recent link. My biggest client (back when I worked for a living; i.e. until about 1999) was the ship line based there. I spent a lot of time in Richmond and one of my sons lives in Chesterfield.
Fred