Bannered routes of Virginia State Route 234
Encyclopedia
Route 234 Business
State Route 234 Business in ManassasManassas, Virginia
The City of Manassas is an independent city surrounded by Prince William County and the independent city of Manassas Park in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Its population was 37,821 as of 2010. Manassas also surrounds the county seat for Prince William County but that county...
is a bannered primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia, and traverses both Prince William County
Prince William County, Virginia
-National protected areas:* Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge* Manassas National Battlefield Park* Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge* Prince William Forest Park-Government and politics:...
and the City of Manassas. SR 234 Business is known by three names: Dumfries Road in Prince William County and Manassas, Grant Avenue in the City of Manassas, and Sudley Road in the City of Manassas and Prince William County.
Route description
SR 234 Business starts in the south as Dumfries Road as a four lane undivided highway. As it passes by the Prince William County fairgrounds before it enters the City of Manassas, it becomes two lanes. After entering the city, Dumfries Road passes by residential neighborhoods and becomes a four-lane divided road, and crosses Wellington Road. At Wellington Road SR 234 Business changes to Grant Avenue, which is a four lane undivided highway that passes by a townhouse development (Georgetown South) and retail developments before entering Old Town Manassas and crossing over SR 28Virginia State Route 28
State Route 28 is a primary state highway that traverses the counties of Loudoun, Fairfax, Prince William, and Fauquier in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is a major artery through Northern Virginia.-Loudoun County:...
. Shortly after this point Grant Avenue reduces to two lanes, then divides into a boulevard
Boulevard
A Boulevard is type of road, usually a wide, multi-lane arterial thoroughfare, divided with a median down the centre, and roadways along each side designed as slow travel and parking lanes and for bicycle and pedestrian usage, often with an above-average quality of landscaping and scenery...
with spaces for on-street parking, and passes by homes, some of which are antebellum in architecture.
When Grant Avenue meets Sudley Road, SR 234 Business turns to the northwest along Sudley Road. This road is a four-lane divided highway that passes by the Manassas U.S. Post Office, the Prince William Hospital (part of the Prince William Health System), and several business establishments. SR 234 Business ends at the intersection with I-66
Interstate 66
Interstate 66 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. As indicated by its even route number, it runs in an east–west direction. Its western terminus is at Middletown, Virginia, at an intersection with Interstate 81; its eastern terminus is in Washington, D.C., at an...
, that also carries SR 234
Virginia State Route 234
State Route 234 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. It runs from U.S. Route 1 near Dumfries via Independent Hill, a bypass of Manassas, and Catharpin to U.S...
. SR 234 continues northward from there along Sudley Road.
History
SR 234 Business was first formed as part of SR 234. When the Prince William ParkwayPrince William Parkway
The Prince William Parkway is a road in Prince William County, Virginia. The road carries two designations. Between U.S. Route 1 in Woodbridge and Dumfries Road near Manassas it carries SR 3000...
/ Manassas Bypass was completed, it was numbered SR 234, and the section through Manassas was renamed SR 234 Business.
Proposal
There is a proposal currently being considered by the Virginia Department of TransportationVirginia Department of Transportation
The Virginia Department of Transportation is the agency of state government responsible for transportation in the state of Virginia in the United States. Headquartered in Downtown Richmond, VDOT is responsible for building, maintaining, and operating the roads, bridges and tunnels in the...
(VDOT) for the Tri-County Parkway that would include extending SR 234 (the "Manassas Bypass") along Pageland Road to Catharpin
Catharpin, Virginia
Catharpin is an unincorporated community in Prince William County, Virginia, in the United States. Catharpin lies on State Route 234 to the northwest of Manassas National Battlefield Park.-Geography:...
where it would meet up with the present SR 234 . This would have the effect of making the portion of SR 234 between Pageland Road and I-66 part of SR 234 Business.
Route 234 Old (Independent Hill)
State Route 234 Old in Independent HillIndependent Hill, Virginia
Independent Hill is an unincorporated town in Prince William County, Virginia. It is located along State Route 234 at the intersection with Joplin Road. The only visible remaining businesses seem to be Samsky's Market and Crosby's Crab Company. In early 2006, a realignment of 234 bypassed the...
is secondary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia, and traverses Prince William County
Prince William County, Virginia
-National protected areas:* Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge* Manassas National Battlefield Park* Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge* Prince William Forest Park-Government and politics:...
. As you can see from the map, the current alignment of SR 234 near Independent Hill contains a curve that at one time was sharper than it is now. When VDOT widened SR 234 from two lanes to a four-lane divided highway, it realigned the road at the same time, leaving behind the old alignment in the form of Independent Hill Road, part of Bristow Road, and Rosita Court, posted as SR-3427 and SR-619
Virginia State Route 619 (Prince William County)
State Route 619 is a secondary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia, and traverses Prince William County. SR 619 provides a cross-county connector as well as a major artery for commuters. SR 619 is known by four names: Linton Hall Road, Bristow Road, Joplin Road, and Fuller Heights Road...
.
VDOT confusion
There seems to be confusion over what these roads are called by VDOT. According to their latest AADT document for Prince William County, this section of roadway is known variously as OSR 234 and SR 234.As SR 619 (Joplin Road) ends at Bristow Road, the signage identifies SR 234 Old as "To 234".
Route description
SR 234 Old starts in the west at an intersection with Dumfries Road, to the northwest of Independent Hill as a two lane road called Independent Hill Drive. At an intersection with SR 619Virginia State Route 619 (Prince William County)
State Route 619 is a secondary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia, and traverses Prince William County. SR 619 provides a cross-county connector as well as a major artery for commuters. SR 619 is known by four names: Linton Hall Road, Bristow Road, Joplin Road, and Fuller Heights Road...
, Independent Hill Road ends, the old alignment continues concurrent with SR 619 on Bristow Road. 0.58 mile (0.9334172 km) later, SR 619 leaves on Joplin Road heading to the southeast. Shortly thereafter is a junction with SR 646, Aden Road, which heads back toward western Prince William County. Bristow road then intersects with Rosita Court, and the old alignment follows this road until it dead-ends.