VA 7100:

Fairfax County Parkway

About VA 7100 | Timeline | Exit/Intersection List | Web Links | Sources  | Photos

 

About VA 7100:

The Fairfax County Parkway is an arterial highway which, when completed, will run from VA 7 (Leesburg Pike) in the northern part of Fairfax County to US 1 (Richmond Highway) in the southeastern part of the county.  The Parkway is also know as the Jack Herrity Parkway.  Mr. Herrity is a former Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.  He was an early proponent of the highway and was instrumental in getting it built.

The Fairfax County Parkway is a unique road in that it is mostly 4 lanes divided with a mixture of crossing types - from Interchanges to Non-Signalized At-Grade Intersections.  There are also local roads which cross over the Parkway with no access to the Parkway.  The Fairfax County Parkway fills a vital role in the county's transportation plan.  It takes on an "outer beltway" like route through the Fairfax County suburbs.  The road is heavily traveled and often congested in several areas, especially during rush hours.  This has led Fairfax County to propose, in the its Comprehensive Plan, to replace several signalized intersections with interchanges.

Planning for what would become the Fairfax County Parkway began in the 1950's when a second and third Beltway around Washington were in the planning stages.  The second and third Beltways were never built.  Nevertheless, Fairfax County knew there was a need for a road that would run through the then outer suburbs of the county.  In 1975, the Dranesville Connection and the Springfield Bypass and Extension were officially put on the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan.  The Dranesville Connection and the Springfield Bypass and Extension were the planning names for the Fairfax County Parkway.  The Extension of the Springfield Bypass is what is now the Franconia-Springfield Parkway.  These names were used to "mask" the fact that the road would form a Beltway through Fairfax County using the routings of the second and third Beltways as its basis.  There were many bitter feelings from the highway planning debates of the 1950's and 1960's and county officials didn't want to create "ill will" with this project.  Over the next 10 years, planning for the new road would continue.  There were more than 19 routes considered for the path of the parkway.  While planning the route, Fairfax County tried to use as much of the right-of-way it had purchased in the 1950's and 1960's when planning for the second and third Beltways was ongoing.  This is especially evident in the area near Franklin Farms where the Parkway runs on right-of-way that was originally purchased for the second (Outer) Beltway.  Public Hearings for the location of the road were held in 1981 with 400 to 500 people showing up at some of the meetings.  Environmental Impact Statement work began in 1978 and ended in 1984.  Final design work began in 1985 followed by a final set of public hearings.  Before construction could begin in late 1985, the issue of funding had to be resolved.  The Fairfax County Parkway was funded by sale of county bonds in 1985, 1988 and 1992 as well as funding from VDOT.  At the time, it was not standard practice for the county to float bonds and use the proceeds for road construction.  Therefore, special permission had to be sought from the state legislature to sell the bonds.  This permission came in 1981.  It would take the next 14 years to complete 33 of the Parkway's 35 miles.  The 33 miles that are complete represent a circumferential arc through the suburbs of Fairfax County.  An additional two miles through the Fort Belvoir Proving Grounds between the Parkway interchange at Rolling Road and the Franconia-Springfield Parkway and I-95 near Fullerton and Backlick Roads is still awaiting contruction.  This important section will provide easier access to Interstate 95 and US Route 1 to and from the Parkway.

In December 2007, VDOT, the Department of the Army and the FHWA reached an agreement to build the last section of the Parkway, much of which goes through Fort Belvior's Engineer Proving Grounds (EPG).  Under the agreement, VDOT will:
Also under the agreement, the Army will:
Finally, under the agreement, the FHWA will:
FHWA estimates the complete project will cost $174 million.  Due to a lack of complete funding, the final section of the Fairfax County Parkway will be built in four phases:
VDOT, FHWA and the Army will continue to jointly pursue funding for partially funded and unfunded portions of the project.

After the extnsion of the Parkway between Rolling Road and Fullerton Road is open, the entire Fairfax County Parkway, as originally envisoned, will be complete.

Along another section of the Parkway near Fair Lakes, VDOT and Fairfax County are planning to replace the at-grade intersections at Fair Lakes Parkway and Monument Drive with an interchange.  This project will also include widening the Parkway to six lanes north to US Route 50.  The project was to funded by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, a newly created taxing authority tasked with planning, developing and implementing road improvements in Northern Virginia.  However, the ability of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority to collect taxes and fees was recently ruled unconstitutional by the Virginia Supreme Court.  It is unknown as to whether or not the project can begin construction on schedule in 2010.

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Timeline:

The following is a timeline chronicling the construction of the Fairfax County Parkway and the Franconia-Springfield Parkway:

Year Event
1975 The Dranesville Connection and the Springfield Bypass and Extension were placed on the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan.  These were the planning names for the Fairfax County Parkway.
1978 Environmental Impact Statement work begins.
1981 Public Hearings for location of road held.
1984 Environmental Impact Statement work completed.
1985 Final public hearings held.
November 1985 First $135 million bond passes to finance construction of the Fairfax County Parkway sold.
1985 Construction on first segment begins.
April 1987 Parkway opens from I-66 to US 50.  This section financed Cavalier Land Development Corporation.
July 1987 Commonwealth Transportation Board approves final plans for the entire Fairfax County Parkway/Franconia-Springfield Parkway project.
November 1987 Section from Franklin Farm Road to Stringfellow Road opens.  This section financed by Hazel/Peterson Companies.
April 1988 Second $150 million construction bond passes.
August 1989 Short section of Franconia-Springfield Parkway opens to bypass Hooes Road across Accotink Creek.
October 1989 West Ox Road to Franklin Farm Road and Stringfellow Road to US 50 open.
October 1991 Fairfax County Parkway from the Dulles Toll Road to West Ox Road opens.
November 1992 Last construction bond valued at $130 million passes.  
June 1992 Franconia-Springfield Parkway opens.
July 1993 A short stretch from Sunset Hills Road and Spring Street to the Dulles Toll Road opens.
November 1993 Hooes and Pohick Roads to Rolling Road open.
July 1995 Braddock Road to VA 123 including interchange at VA 123 opens.
September 1995 Parkway from Braddock Road to I-66 opens.  Includes reconstruction of I-66 interchange to accommodate the southbound Fairfax County Parkway.
December 1995 Interchanges at US 50 and US 29 and West Ox Road (in Fairfax) opens.  Also, the Interchange at Frontier Drive on Franconia-Springfield Parkway is completely open.
May 1996 VA 123 to Lee Chapel Road opens.
July 1996 Lee Chapel Road to Hooes and Pohick Roads opens.
July 1997 Telegraph Road to US Route 1 open.
November 1997 Newington/Fullerton Road to Telegraph Road opens.  Includes interchange with I-95.
June 1999 VA 7 to Sugarland Road opens as well as interchange at VA 7.
November 2000 Sugarland Road to Wiehle Avenue opens.
December 2000 Wiehle Avenue to Baron Cameron Avenue open.
November 2001 Baron Cameron Avenue to Sunset Hills Road and Spring Street opens.
December 2001 Interchange at Baron Cameron Avenue opens.
September 2002 Pohick Road bridge over Parkway opens allowing for Pohick Road northbound traffic to go northbound on the Parkway and northbound Parkway traffic to go directly to Pohick Road southbound.
2008 Construction expected to begin on last stretch of the Fairfax County Parkway through the Fort Belvoir Engineer Proving Grounds.  Project expected to be complete in late 2010.
2010 Construction of interchange at Fair Lakes Parkway and Monument Drive was expected to begin on this date.  With the ability of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority to collect taxes and fees ruled unconstitutional by the Virginia Supreme Court, construction may not begin on time.

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Exit/Intersection List:

Since the Fairfax County Parkway runs in an arc, clockwise and counter-clockwise are the best way to describe the way you should read the Exit/Intersection List.  Therefore, read down for counter-clockwise (south and then east) and read up for clockwise (west and north).  Please note that the entire parkway is signed north/south.
Road that Crosses the Fairfax County Parkway Type of Intersection
VA 7 Leesburg Pike Signalized Intersection on the Parkway, Interchange for VA 7.
VA 604 Sugarland Road Signalized Intersection
Wiehle Avenue Signalized Intersection
VA 680 Stuart Road Non-Signalized Intersection
Lake Newport Road Signalized Intersection
Walnut Branch Road Signalized Intersection
VA 606 Baron Cameron Avenue Interchange
New Dominion Parkway Signalized Intersection
VA 675 Sunset Hills Road Signalized Intersection/Interchange (Some ramps are direct, some are via a light on the Parkway itself.)
VA 267 Dulles Toll Road Signalized Intersection on the Parkway, Interchange for the Dulles Toll Road.
VA 5320 Sunrise Valley Drive Signalized Intersection
VA 665 Fox Mill Road Signalized Intersection
VA 608 West Ox Road Signalized Intersection
Franklin Farm Road Signalized Intersection
Springhaven Drive/Tuckaway Drive Signalized Intersection
Stringfellow Road Signalized Intersection
Old Plains Road Non-Signalized Intersection - Counterclockwise (Southbound/Eastbound) Only.
VA 750 Rugby Road Signalized Intersection
US 50 Lee Jackson Memorial Highway Signalized Intersection on the Parkway, Interchange for US 50.
North Lake Drive Non-Signalized Intersection. Access will be closed when Fair Lakes Parkway/Monument Drive interchange opens.
Monument Drive Signalized Intersection. Construction on replacement interchange to begin in 2010.
Fair Lakes Parkway Signalized Intersection. Construction on replacement interchange to begin in 2010.
I-66 Interchange
US 29 Lee Highway/VA 608 West Ox Road Interchange.  The most complex one on the Parkway.  Also, topped the list of most accident prone intersections in the county.  Some changes were made to the ramps, service roads, signal placement and signal timing to improve safety.
VA 620 Braddock Road Interchange
VA 654 Popes Head Road Signalized Intersection
Colchester Meadow Lane Non-Signalized Intersection
Ladues End Lane/Homes Lane Non-Signalized Intersection
VA 643 Burke Centre Parkway Signalized Intersection
VA 123 Ox Road Interchange
VA 651 Freds Oak Road Non-Signalized Intersection
New Road Non-Signalized Intersection
Wendy Ann Court Non-Signalized Intersection - Counterclockwise (Southbound/Eastbound) Only.
VA 6197 Roberts Parkway/Karmich Street Signalized Intersection
Knolls Pond Lane Non-Signalized Intersection - Clockwise (Northbound/Westbound) Only.
VA 645 Burke Lake Road Signalized Intersection
VA 644 Old Keene Mill Road Signalized Intersection
Waterline Drive/Portside Drive Non-Signalized Intersection
Rolling View Drive/Pilot House Road Non-Signalized Intersection
VA 643 Lee Chapel Road Signalized Intersection
Huntsman Boulevard Signalized Intersection
Huntsman Court (Shopping Center Entrance) Non-Signalized Intersection - Clockwise (Northbound/Westbound) Only.
Modisto Lane Non-Signalized Intersection
Cervantes Lane Non-Signalized Intersection - Clockwise (Northbound/Westbound) Only.
VA 636 Hooes Road SOUTH/VA 641 Pohick Road Interchange
VA 636 Hooes Road NORTH Non-Signalized Intersection
VA 640 Gambrill Road/Sydenstricker Road Interchange
Whitler's Creek Drive/Walnut Knob Drive Signalized Intersection
Stream Way Non-Signalized Intersection
VA 7100 SOUTH (When the Fairfax County Parkway to the south is completed, you will have to exit here to stay on the Parkway. VA 638 Rolling Road Interchange

VA 7900 Franconia-Springfield Parkway
VA 636 Hooes Road/Donegal Lane Signalized Intersection
VA 638 Rolling Road/Fort Belvoir Engineer Provong Grounds Interchange.  Construction to begin in 2009.
Fullerton Road Signalized Intersection.  Access will be via interchange at Boudinot Drive after Parkway extension is complete.
I-95 Interchange
VA 789 Newington Road Signalized Intersection
Terminal Road Signalized Intersection
VA 611 Telegraph Road Interchange
Ehlers Road Non-Signalized Intersection
Kingman Road Signalized Intersection
VA 617 Backlick Road Non-Signalized Intersection
US 1 Richmond Highway Signalized Intersection

Thank you to SPUI for his updates and corrections to the Exit/Intersection List, especially for the sections in Reston and Herndon and also to Russell Blau for his updates as well.
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Web Links:
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Sources:
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Please send any updates, comments and corrections to Michael Hale.

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Last Update: 3/8/08