Virginia State Route 120
Encyclopedia
Virginia State Route 120 (SR 120) is a primary state highway
in the U.S. state of Virginia
. Known as Glebe Road, the state highway runs 9.1 miles (14.6 km) from U.S. Route 1
(US 1) in Crystal City
north to SR 123
at the Chain Bridge. SR 120 is a partial circumferential highway in Arlington County
that connects the southeastern and northwestern corners of the county with several urban village
s along its crescent-shaped path, including Ballston
. The state highway also connects all of the major highways that radiate from Washington
, including Interstate 395, I-66
, US 50
, and US 29
. SR 120 is a part of the National Highway System
for its entire length.
and Four Mile Run
, both to the south, and passes to the south of the Arlington Ridge
community. At the point the old alignment of SR 120, also named Glebe Road, crosses Four Mile Run into Alexandria, the state highway veers northwest away from the stream and meets I-395 (Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway) at a partial cloverleaf interchange north of Shirlington
. North of the freeway, SR 120 passes between the historic Lomax African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
and Army Navy Country Club. North of its oblique intersection with Walter Reed Drive, the state highway passes through the commercial center of Westmont, where the highway intersects SR 244
(Columbia Pike). North of Westmont, SR 120 has a partial cloverleaf interchange with US 50 (Arlington Boulevard) adjacent to the Cathedral of Saint Thomas More
.
SR 120 continues north onto Ballston, where the highway expands to six lanes at Quincy Street. The state highway passes by Ballston Common Mall
and the adjacent Kettler Capitals Iceplex
, practice rink of the Washington Capitals
. SR 120 veers north at Wilson Boulevard and passes by the Arlington Center of Northern Virginia Community College
at Fairfax Drive, which heads east as SR 237
toward Clarendon
and west as ramps to and from I-66 toward Falls Church. The state highway runs concurrently
with SR 237 for two blocks north to Washington Boulevard, onto which SR 237 heads west toward Falls Church
. Just north of Washington Boulevard, SR 120 has a partial interchange with I-66 that allows access to and from the direction of Washington and where the highway crosses the Custis Trail
.
SR 120 leaves Ballston as a four-lane divided highway that passes by The Glebe
and intersects US 29 (Lee Highway). The state highway has an oblique intersection with SR 309
(Old Dominion Drive) on an overpass of Yorktown Boulevard adjacent to Marymount University
. At Williamsburg Boulevard, SR 120 veers northeast to parallel the Arlington–Fairfax
county line. At the top of its descent to the Potomac River, the state highway has a partial cloverleaf interchange with Military Road, a residential street, and reduces to two lanes. The highway has a sweeping curve to the north and passes below the George Washington Memorial Parkway
immediately before its northern terminus at SR 123 (Chain Bridge Road), which connects SR 120 with the Parkway. The road continues straight as SR 123 to the Chain Bridge, which crosses the Potomac River just below Little Falls to an intersection with Canal Road and the Clara Barton Parkway in Washington a short distance east of the District of Columbia – Maryland
boundary.
, was first known as the "Road to the Falls." It linked the glebe lands
of the ministers of The Falls Church
in what is now Falls Church and the Christ Church in Alexandria and thus became known as Glebe Road. SR 120 appeared in its current form in the 1940 renumbering, replacing a small part of SR 9, which itself had replaced the original designation of State Route 25 in the 1933 renumbering. The majority of SR 25 became SR 123 in 1940.
Another SR 120 was designated in Franklin County
in the 1933 renumbering. It consisted of two sections. One was the present-day SR 739 from its intersection with the present-day US 220 at Boones Mill
westward for 5 miles (8 km). The other was the present-day SR 602 from its intersection with State Route 40 near Ferrum
northward for 5 miles (8 km).
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...
in the U.S. state of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. Known as Glebe Road, the state highway runs 9.1 miles (14.6 km) from U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 in Virginia
U.S. Route 1 in the U.S. state of Virginia runs north–south through South Hill, Petersburg, Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Alexandria on its way from North Carolina to the 14th Street Bridge into the District of Columbia...
(US 1) in Crystal City
Crystal City, Virginia
Crystal City is an urban neighborhood in the southeastern corner of Arlington County, Virginia, south of downtown Washington, D.C.. Its residents can live, shop, and work without going outside, due to its extensive integration of office buildings and residential high-rise buildings using...
north to SR 123
Virginia State Route 123
Virginia State Route 123 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs from U.S. Route 1 in Woodbridge north to the Chain Bridge across the Potomac River into Washington from Arlington...
at the Chain Bridge. SR 120 is a partial circumferential highway in Arlington County
Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The land that became Arlington was originally donated by Virginia to the United States government to form part of the new federal capital district. On February 27, 1801, the United States Congress organized the area as a subdivision of...
that connects the southeastern and northwestern corners of the county with several urban village
Urban village
An urban village is an urban planning and urban design concept. It refers to an urban form typically characterized by:* Medium density development* Mixed use zoning* The provision of good public transit...
s along its crescent-shaped path, including Ballston
Ballston, Virginia
Ballston is a neighborhood in Arlington County, Virginia and is home to the Ballston-MU station on the Orange Line of the Metrorail subway system.-History:...
. The state highway also connects all of the major highways that radiate from 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....
, including Interstate 395, 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...
, US 50
U.S. Route 50 in Virginia
U.S. Route 50 is a transcontinental highway which stretches from Ocean City, Maryland to Sacramento, California. In the U.S. state of Virginia, US 50 extends from the border with Washington DC at a Potomac River crossing at Rosslyn in Arlington County to the West Virginia state line near Gore in...
, and US 29
U.S. Route 29 in Virginia
U.S. Route 29 is a major north–south route in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It covers from the North Carolina border at the city of Danville to the Key Bridge in Washington, D.C....
. SR 120 is a part of the National Highway System
National Highway System (United States)
The National Highway System is a network of strategic highways within the United States, including the Interstate Highway System and other roads serving major airports, ports, rail or truck terminals, railway stations, pipeline terminals and other strategic transport facilities.Individual states...
for its entire length.
Route description
SR 120 begins at an intersection with US 1 (Jefferson Davis Highway) at the south end of Crystal City, just north of the city of Alexandria. The state highway heads west as a four-lane divided highway through the Arlington County sewage treatment facility. West of the facility, SR 120 parallels the Four Mile Run TrailFour Mile Run Trail
The Four Mile Run Trail is a 7-mile, paved bike trail in Arlington County, Virginia that runs along Four Mile Run from Falls Church to the Mount Vernon Trail near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, where Four Mile Run empties into the Potomac River...
and Four Mile Run
Four Mile Run
Four Mile Run is a stream in northern Virginia that starts near Interstate 66, at Gordon Avenue in Fairfax County and proceeds southeast through Falls Church to Arlington County in the U.S. state of Virginia...
, both to the south, and passes to the south of the Arlington Ridge
Arlington Ridge
Arlington Ridge is an unincorporated community in Arlington County, Virginia, United States. It is bordered on the north by The Pentagon, on the west by the Army Navy Country Club, and on the south the City of Alexandria. The main thoroughfare is the eponymous Arlington Ridge Road, a mansion-lined...
community. At the point the old alignment of SR 120, also named Glebe Road, crosses Four Mile Run into Alexandria, the state highway veers northwest away from the stream and meets I-395 (Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway) at a partial cloverleaf interchange north of Shirlington
Shirlington, Virginia
Shirlington is an unincorporated urban area, officially called an "urban village", in the southern part of Arlington County, Virginia, United States, adjacent to the Fairlington area...
. North of the freeway, SR 120 passes between the historic Lomax African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
Lomax African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
Lomax African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church is a historic church at 2704 24th Rd. South in Arlington, Virginia.It was built in 1894 and added to the National Register in 2004....
and Army Navy Country Club. North of its oblique intersection with Walter Reed Drive, the state highway passes through the commercial center of Westmont, where the highway intersects SR 244
Virginia State Route 244
State Route 244, also known as Columbia Pike, is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is a four-lane road that runs from State Route 236 in Annandale, Fairfax County east to State Route 27 at the Pentagon in Arlington County.-History:Columbia Pike dates to 1810 when the U.S...
(Columbia Pike). North of Westmont, SR 120 has a partial cloverleaf interchange with US 50 (Arlington Boulevard) adjacent to the Cathedral of Saint Thomas More
Cathedral of Saint Thomas More
The Cathedral of Saint Thomas More is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington and the seat of Bishop Paul S. Loverde. The Rev. Robert J. Rippy has been the Rector since 2005. The Cathedral also has a Parochial Vicar, two resident priests, Director of Religious Education, Youth...
.
SR 120 continues north onto Ballston, where the highway expands to six lanes at Quincy Street. The state highway passes by Ballston Common Mall
Ballston Common Mall
Ballston Common Mall, which originally opened as Parkington Shopping Center in 1951, was one of the first major suburban shopping centers in the Washington D.C. area. It was the first shopping center built around a multi-story parking garage in the United States...
and the adjacent Kettler Capitals Iceplex
Kettler Capitals Iceplex
Kettler Capitals Iceplex is the practice arena of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League. The highest ice rink above street-level in the United States, it is located on the eighth floor atop the parking garage adjoining the Ballston Common Mall in the Ballston neighborhood of...
, practice rink of the Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
. SR 120 veers north at Wilson Boulevard and passes by the Arlington Center of Northern Virginia Community College
Northern Virginia Community College
Northern Virginia Community College, often abbreviated NVCC and colloquially as NOVA, comprises several locations in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., and is both the second largest multi-campus community college in the United States and the largest educational institution in the...
at Fairfax Drive, which heads east as SR 237
Virginia State Route 237
State Route 237 is a primary state highway in Virginia. It runs from State Route 236 in Fairfax north on Pickett Road, then west on U.S. Route 50 and east on U.S. Route 29 through Falls Church into Arlington...
toward Clarendon
Clarendon, Virginia
Clarendon is a neighborhood in Arlington County, Virginia, USA, located between the Rosslyn area and the Ballston area. The main thoroughfares are Wilson Boulevard and Clarendon Boulevard .-Boundaries and geography:...
and west as ramps to and from I-66 toward Falls Church. The state highway runs concurrently
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
with SR 237 for two blocks north to Washington Boulevard, onto which SR 237 heads west toward Falls Church
Falls Church, Virginia
The City of Falls Church is an independent city in Virginia, United States, in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The city population was 12,332 in 2010, up from 10,377 in 2000. Taking its name from The Falls Church, an 18th-century Anglican parish, Falls Church gained township status within...
. Just north of Washington Boulevard, SR 120 has a partial interchange with I-66 that allows access to and from the direction of Washington and where the highway crosses the Custis Trail
Custis Trail
The Custis Trail is a 4-mile, paved bike trail in Arlington County, Virginia that extends from Key Bridge at Rosslyn westward to the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Trail...
.
SR 120 leaves Ballston as a four-lane divided highway that passes by The Glebe
The Glebe (Arlington, Virginia)
The Glebe, built in 1815, is an historic octagon house located at 4527 17th St., North in Arlington, Virginia. On February 23, 1972, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It is also preserved by the with a conservation easement....
and intersects US 29 (Lee Highway). The state highway has an oblique intersection with SR 309
Virginia State Route 309
State Route 309 is a primary state highway in Northern Virginia, United States. It runs along Old Dominion Drive, the former Washington and Old Dominion Railroad right-of-way, from State Route 123 at McLean to U.S. Route 29 in Arlington...
(Old Dominion Drive) on an overpass of Yorktown Boulevard adjacent to Marymount University
Marymount University
Marymount University is a coeducational, four-year Catholic university that has its main campus located in Arlington, Virginia. Marymount offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in a wide range of disciplines and has a diverse and welcoming academic community with approximately 3,600...
. At Williamsburg Boulevard, SR 120 veers northeast to parallel the Arlington–Fairfax
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...
county line. At the top of its descent to the Potomac River, the state highway has a partial cloverleaf interchange with Military Road, a residential street, and reduces to two lanes. The highway has a sweeping curve to the north and passes below the George Washington Memorial Parkway
George Washington Memorial Parkway
The George Washington Memorial Parkway, known to local motorists simply as the "G.W. Parkway", is a parkway maintained by the U.S. National Park Service. It is located mostly in Northern Virginia, although a short section northwest of the Arlington Memorial Bridge passes over Columbia Island,...
immediately before its northern terminus at SR 123 (Chain Bridge Road), which connects SR 120 with the Parkway. The road continues straight as SR 123 to the Chain Bridge, which crosses the Potomac River just below Little Falls to an intersection with Canal Road and the Clara Barton Parkway in Washington a short distance east of the District of Columbia – Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
boundary.
History
A road along the present path of SR 120 has existed at least since the 1750s. This road, linking Alexandria to Great FallsGreat Falls, Virginia
Great Falls is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 15,427 at the 2010 census.Although primarily a bedroom community for Washington, D.C., one major attraction is Great Falls Park which overlooks the Great Falls of the Potomac River, for which...
, was first known as the "Road to the Falls." It linked the glebe lands
Glebe
Glebe Glebe Glebe (also known as Church furlong or parson's closes is an area of land within a manor and parish used to support a parish priest.-Medieval origins:...
of the ministers of The Falls Church
The Falls Church
The Falls Church historically refers to the church from which the City of Falls Church, Virginia, near Washington, D. C., takes its name. The parish it originally served was established in 1732 and the brick meeting house preserved on site dates to 1769....
in what is now Falls Church and the Christ Church in Alexandria and thus became known as Glebe Road. SR 120 appeared in its current form in the 1940 renumbering, replacing a small part of SR 9, which itself had replaced the original designation of State Route 25 in the 1933 renumbering. The majority of SR 25 became SR 123 in 1940.
Another SR 120 was designated in Franklin County
Franklin County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 47,286 people, 18,963 households, and 13,918 families residing in the county. The population density was 68 people per square mile . There were 22,717 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...
in the 1933 renumbering. It consisted of two sections. One was the present-day SR 739 from its intersection with the present-day US 220 at Boones Mill
Boones Mill, Virginia
Boones Mill is a town in Franklin County, Virginia, United States. The population was 285 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Boones Mill is located at ....
westward for 5 miles (8 km). The other was the present-day SR 602 from its intersection with State Route 40 near Ferrum
Ferrum, Virginia
Ferrum is a census-designated place in Franklin County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,313 at the 2000 census. Ferrum is home to Ferrum College and its Blue Ridge Folklife Festival...
northward for 5 miles (8 km).