Pentagon road network
Encyclopedia
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
s, mostly freeways, built by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
federal government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
in the early 1940s to serve the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
in northern Virginia
Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia consists of several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in a widespread region generally radiating southerly and westward from Washington, D.C...
. The roads, transferred to the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1964, are now state highway
State highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...
s. The main part of the network is the "Mixing Bowl" at Interstate 395 (Shirley Highway) and Route 27 (Washington Boulevard
Washington Boulevard (Arlington)
Washington Boulevard is a road in Arlington County, Virginia. It begins as a highway, connecting the George Washington Memorial Parkway and Arlington Memorial Bridge with Interstate 395, running past The Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery...
), named because it had major weaving issues with traffic "mixing" between the two roads before it was rebuilt in the early 1970s.
The nickname is now more commonly used to refer to the Springfield Interchange
Springfield Interchange
The Springfield Interchange, also known as the Mixing Bowl, is the interchange of Interstate 95, Interstate 395, and Interstate 495 in Springfield, Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C....
, where I-395, I-495
Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway)
Interstate 495 is a Interstate Highway that surrounds the United States' capital of Washington, D.C., and its inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. I-495 is widely known as the Capital Beltway or simply the Beltway, especially when the context of Washington, D.C., is clear...
, and I-95
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Florida and serving some of the most populated urban areas in the country, including Boston, Providence, New Haven, New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore,...
converge in nearby Springfield
Springfield, Virginia
Springfield is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States and a suburb of Washington, D.C. The Springfield CDP is recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau with a population of 30,484 as of the 2010 census. Homes and businesses in bordering CDPs including North Springfield,...
.
Shirley Highway (I-395)
The Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway was built to take traffic off the Highway Bridge (now the 14th Street Bridge). The first phase, from the bridge to Arlington Ridge Road, was completed in 1942. This began at an existing cloverleaf interchangeCloverleaf interchange
A cloverleaf interchange is a two-level interchange in which left turns, reverse direction in left-driving regions, are handled by ramp roads...
with the Mount Vernon Memorial Highway and ran southwest, parallel to the existing Jefferson Davis Highway
Jefferson Davis Highway
The Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway was a planned transcontinental highway in the United States in the 1910s and 1920s that began in Washington, D.C. and extended south and west to San Diego, California; it was named for Jefferson Davis, who, in addition to being the first and only President of...
(U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south U.S. Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs 2,377 miles from Fort Kent, Maine at the Canadian border south to Key West, Florida. U.S. 1 generally parallels Interstate 95, though it is significantly farther west between...
), to a point southeast of the Pentagon. That section included an interchange with Boundary Channel Drive, which served the Pentagon's north parking lot, and a bridge over the Rosslyn Connecting Railroad. US 1 was routed onto it, as the existing US 1 was cut in several places by ramps.
After crossing the Jefferson Davis Highway, where US 1 exited to the south, the Shirley Highway turned west, with an interchange to access the south parking lot. (Hayes Street now crosses under the highway there.) Southwest of the Pentagon, the connection to the Arlington Memorial Bridge
Arlington Memorial Bridge
The Arlington Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C. crosses the Potomac River, connecting the Lincoln Memorial and Columbia Island. The northeastern end of the bridge marks the western edge of the National Mall...
(now Route 27) merged, and soon after was a split for the connection to Lee Boulevard (now also Route 27, Washington Boulevard). Just past that, the original construction turned southeast to end at Arlington Ridge Road.
The extension beyond to Route 7, also built by the Federal Government, opened October 23, 1943 and was dualled
Divided Highway
Divided Highway is a compilation album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 2003. . All tracks are taken from the albums Cycles and Brotherhood .-Track listing:...
on October 30, 1944. The extension beyond Route 7 to U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south U.S. Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs 2,377 miles from Fort Kent, Maine at the Canadian border south to Key West, Florida. U.S. 1 generally parallels Interstate 95, though it is significantly farther west between...
near Occoquan was built by the Virginia Department of Highways as State Route 350 from 1945 to 1952. (SR 350 was also signed along the Federally built portion southwest of US 1.)
On December 17, 1964, the road system was transferred to Virginia, and soon after the Shirley Highway became part of Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in Virginia
In the Commonwealth of Virginia, Interstate 95 runs through the state. It runs concurrently for with Interstate 64 in Richmond, and meets the northern terminus of Interstate 85 in Petersburg. Though Interstate 95 was originally planned to go straight through Washington, D.C., it was instead...
. With the cancellation of I-95 through Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, it was renumbered Interstate 395 in 1977.
Washington Boulevard (Route 27)
What is now Route 27 was built in two sections. The western section served as a realignment of Washington BoulevardWashington Boulevard (Arlington)
Washington Boulevard is a road in Arlington County, Virginia. It begins as a highway, connecting the George Washington Memorial Parkway and Arlington Memorial Bridge with Interstate 395, running past The Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery...
from Lee Boulevard (U.S. Route 50
U.S. Route 50
U.S. Route 50 is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching just over from Ocean City, Maryland on the Atlantic Ocean to West Sacramento, California. Until 1972, when it was replaced by Interstate Highways west of the Sacramento area, it extended to San Francisco, near...
, now Arlington Boulevard) southeast to the Mixing Bowl. It had several grade crossings and one interchange
Interchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...
(with Route 244, Columbia Pike).
East of the Mixing Bowl, the other part of current Route 27 headed northeast, crossing a realigned Columbia Pike, with access to the Pentagon's south parking lot to the east. Past that was another full interchange, for Pentagon service access, just before a crossing (with no ramps) of the Jefferson Davis Highway Extension and the Rosslyn Connecting Railroad. Finally, an interchange with Boundary Channel Drive (for north parking) was provided, with access only to/from the north, before the road crossed the Boundary Channel
Boundary Channel
Boundary Channel is a channel off the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. The channel extends southward from the Potomac between Columbia Island to the east and the Virginia shore to the west and ends at the Pentagon Lagoon. Boundary Channel is shallow and is crossed by several fixed...
into Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
for connections to the Mount Vernon Memorial Highway and Arlington Memorial Bridge
Arlington Memorial Bridge
The Arlington Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C. crosses the Potomac River, connecting the Lincoln Memorial and Columbia Island. The northeastern end of the bridge marks the western edge of the National Mall...
.
Those roads were also transferred to the Virginia Department of Highways on December 17, 1964 and assigned the number Route 27.
Jefferson Davis Highway (Route 110)
The extension of the Jefferson Davis Highway ran along the east side of the Pentagon, parallel to the Rosslyn Connecting Railroad, connecting the junction of the Jefferson Davis HighwayJefferson Davis Highway
The Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway was a planned transcontinental highway in the United States in the 1910s and 1920s that began in Washington, D.C. and extended south and west to San Diego, California; it was named for Jefferson Davis, who, in addition to being the first and only President of...
(U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south U.S. Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs 2,377 miles from Fort Kent, Maine at the Canadian border south to Key West, Florida. U.S. 1 generally parallels Interstate 95, though it is significantly farther west between...
) and Shirley Highway to Rosslyn. It had one interchange with the Pentagon - connecting to the drop-off area to the southeast. After crossing the Mixing Bowl-Arlington Memorial Bridge connection with no access, a partial interchange (access to/from the south) was provided with the main road to the bridge. The extension ended at Arlington Ridge Road just north of Lee Boulevard (U.S. Route 50
U.S. Route 50
U.S. Route 50 is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching just over from Ocean City, Maryland on the Atlantic Ocean to West Sacramento, California. Until 1972, when it was replaced by Interstate Highways west of the Sacramento area, it extended to San Francisco, near...
). Following the September 11 attacks, Route 110 was closed to trucks and tour buses due to its proximity to the Pentagon. In September 2002, a contract was awarded to reroute Route 110 to increase the standoff distance between vehicles and the Pentagon. The project, called the Pentagon Secure Bypass, was completed in 2004.
When the road was transferred to the Virginia Department of Highways on December 17, 1964, it was numbered Route 110.
Columbia Pike Extension (Route 244)
Prior to the building of the Mixing Bowl, Columbia Pike (and Route 244) ran through its site to end at the Jefferson Davis HighwayJefferson Davis Highway
The Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway was a planned transcontinental highway in the United States in the 1910s and 1920s that began in Washington, D.C. and extended south and west to San Diego, California; it was named for Jefferson Davis, who, in addition to being the first and only President of...
(U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south U.S. Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs 2,377 miles from Fort Kent, Maine at the Canadian border south to Key West, Florida. U.S. 1 generally parallels Interstate 95, though it is significantly farther west between...
). It was truncated at that time to Arlington Ridge Road, which itself was cut by the Mixing Bowl (and later cut by Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
to the north).
As part of that network, a connection was built from Arlington Ridge Road north of Columbia Pike east to the Arlington Memorial Bridge
Arlington Memorial Bridge
The Arlington Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C. crosses the Potomac River, connecting the Lincoln Memorial and Columbia Island. The northeastern end of the bridge marks the western edge of the National Mall...
connection, continuing across that connection to the Pentagon south parking lot. It was also transferred to the Virginia Department of Highways on December 17, 1964, and numbered as an extension of Route 244.
Pentagon access
Access to the PentagonThe Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
was provided in the following places:
South parking lot
- Shirley Highway east of the Mixing Bowl (full cloverleaf where Hayes Street now crosses, also providing access to Army Navy Drive to the south)
- Arlington Memorial Bridge connection (now Washington Boulevard) and the Columbia Pike Extension northeast of the Mixing Bowl (full cloverleaf)
North parking lot
- Shirley Highway northeast of the Jefferson Davis Highway (partial cloverleaf with Boundary Channel Drive, providing full access)
- Arlington Memorial Bridge connection (now Washington Boulevard) south of the Boundary Channel (partial interchange - access only to/from the north - with Boundary Channel Drive)
Service area north of the Pentagon
- Arlington Memorial Bridge connection (now Washington Boulevard) south of the Jefferson Davis Highway Extension (folded diamond)
Drop-off area southeast of the Pentagon
- Jefferson Davis Highway Extension north of the Shirley Highway (trumpet)
The Mixing Bowl
From 1970 to 1973, as part of a total reconstruction of the Shirley Highway, the interchange was totally rebuilt to eliminate all weaving, mainly by the use of collector/distributor roads. The former cloverleaf with Hayes Street became a complicated mess of ramps to the various roads. The ramp from I-395 south to Route 27 towards the Memorial Bridge was removed, and a pair of ramps at the crossing of Route 27 and Route 110 made some of the ramps at Jefferson Davis Highway redundant. Finally, a two-lane reversible
Reversible lane
A reversible lane , called a counterflow lane or contraflow lane in transport engineering nomenclature, is a lane in which traffic may travel in either direction, depending on certain conditions...
HOV roadway
High-occupancy vehicle lane
In transportation engineering and transportation planning, a high-occupancy vehicle lane is a lane reserved for vehicles with a driver and one or more passengers...
was added in the median, becoming a four-lane two-way road from the eastern part of the interchange into Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. Special ramps to Route 27 towards the Memorial Bridge and to the Pentagon south parking lot (via Eads Street) were provided for HOV traffic.