Route 7100 Pictures

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 4 lanes divided, but it has a mixture of crossing types - from Interchanges to Non-Signalized At-Grade Intersections.  There are also a couple of places where local roads cross over the Parkway on bridges with no access to the Parkway.  The Fairfax County Parkway fills a vital role in the county's transportation plan.  It forms somewhat of an outer beltway through the Virginia suburbs.  It is a heavily traveled road which is often congested in several areas.  This has led Fairfax County to propose, in the county's Master Plan, interchanges where several signalized intersections currently exist.  The speed limit on the entire Fairfax County Parkway is 50 MPH.

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.  This map shows some of these routes and the final selected alternative that the Parkway would eventually be built upon.  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.  It was not normal 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 funded and expected to begin construction in 2005.  Only after that portion is completed will the entire $620 million Fairfax County Parkway be complete.

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

On the map above, you can see the path of the Fairfax County Parkway and its twin the Franconia-Springfield Parkway.  The completed sections of the Fairfax County Parkway are shown in dark blue.  The sections which are not completed are shown in red.  The Franconia-Springfield Parkway is shown in gray.  The map is from the Fairfax County Government web site.  I have maintained these colors as closely as possible in the Exit/Intersection List below.

Since the Fairfax County Parkway runs in an arc, I think that 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.

Sources: Springfield Bypass and Extension Draft Environment Impact Statement, Centreville Times article "After 16 years, $620 million, parkway finally earns its name" by David Loos in the November 8, 2001 edition, SlugVirginia Web Site (http://www.slugvirginia.com/history.htm), Personal Knowledge and Observations.

Also, thanks to SPUI for his updates and corrections, especially for the sections in Reston and Herndon and to Russell Blau for his updates as well.

Please send any updates, comments and corrections to Michael Hale.

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03/27/2002