Virginia State Highway 236
Encyclopedia : V : VI : VIR : Virginia State Highway 236
| Route 236 | |
|---|---|
|
| |
| Length: | 16 mi (26 km) |
| Direction: | East/West |
| Major cities: | Alexandria, VA Annandale, VA Fairfax, VA |
| East end: |  VA 400 (Washington Street) in Alexandria, VA
|
| Major junctions: |
US 1  VA 241  VA 401 (Van Dorn Street)I-395  SR 620 (Braddock Road) VA 244 (Columbia Pike) I-495 (Capital Beltway)  VA 237 (Pickett Road) VA 123 (Chain Bridge Road) |
| West end: |
US 29/US 50 (Lee Highway/Fairfax Boulevard) in Fairfax, VA |
| System | Virginia State Highways |
Virginia State Highway 236 is an east-west surface route in Northern Virginia, between Virginia State Highway 400 in Alexandria and U.S. Highway 29 and 50 in Fairfax. The road is known by several names along various stretches: Duke Street within the city limits of Alexandria, Little River Turnpike in Fairfax County (including the unincorporated community of Annandale), and Main Street within the city limits of Fairfax.
In Alexandria's West End, Duke Street is the dividing line between north and south in the addressing system. In Old Town Alexandria, the dividing line is King Street (Virginia State Highway 7).
Route 236 has interchanges with Interstates 395 and 495.
Route 236 is generally a four-lane road. A third lane has been proposed by the Virginia Department of Transportation west of the Capital Beltway, but this has not yet been approved. Extensive construction is underway in the City of Fairfax to make Main Street two-way in the city center (Route 236, in the westbound direction, presently veers onto North Street)
History
The Little River Turnpike existed before the American Revolutionary War and was a privately owned and operated toll road during the 1700s and 1800s running from Alexandria to Aldie in Loudoun County, Virginia. Several sections of the road originated as Indian trails, and a majority of the road traversed rural areas. Many Civil War battles and skirmishes were fought at locations along or near the road. Currently, most of the historical turnpike is paved road owned and maintained by the government of Virginia. However, just over half of its route is part of U.S. Highway 50 and is called the John S. Mosby Highway (in Loudoun County) and Lee-Jackson Memorial Highway (in Fairfax County). Only the VA 236 section continues to carry the Little River Turnpike name. Nearly all the length of the road now runs through urban and suburban communities.
Duke Street in Old Town Alexandria was part of the original grid plan of the city.
VA 236 appeared in its present location between 1934 and 1937 as a replacement for US 50 which formerly ran the entire length of the historic Little River Turnpike to Alexandria before turning northward toward Washington, D.C. concurrent with US 1. This was the second VA 236. The number was originally assigned (in 1933) to Old Lee Highway and Arlington Boulevard from the City of Fairfax to Fort Myer in Arlington County, most of which is now US 50 except for the unnumbered Old Lee Highway.
References
- http://virginiaplaces.org/transportation/turnpikes.html
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