Virginia State Route 234 (SR 234) is a primary

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. It runs from

U.S. Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, ...

near

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; ; from ) is a market town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, near the mouth of the River Nith on the Solway Firth, from the Anglo-Scottish border. Dumfries is the county town of the Counties of Scotland, ...

via

Independent Hill Independent Hill is an unincorporated town in Prince William County, Virginia, Prince William County, Virginia. It is located along State Route 234 (Virginia), State Route 234 at the intersection with Virginia State Route 619 (Prince William Count ...

as Dumfries Road, bypasses

Manassas Manassas (), formerly Manassas Junction, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. The population was 42,772 at the 2020 Census. It is the county seat of Prince William County, although the two are separate jurisdi ...

Prince William Parkway The Prince William Parkway is a road in Prince William County, Virginia. The road carries two designations. Starting in the east at the intersection with U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Woodbridge to the west until intersecting with Dumfries Ro ...

, and has a brief

concurrency Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

with

Interstate 66 Interstate 66 (I-66) is a 76.32 mile east–west Interstate Highway in the East Coast of the United States, eastern United States. The highway runs from an interchange with Interstate 81 in Virginia, I-81 near Middletown, Virginia, on its w ...

for between exits 44 and 47 before continuing northwest via Catharpin to

U.S. Route 15 U.S. Route 15 or U.S. Highway 15 (US 15) is a United States Numbered Highway, serving the states of South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York. The route is signed north–south, from US ...

near Woolsey as Sudley Road.

Route description

SR 234 begins at an intersection with US 1 (Jefferson Davis Highway) on the northern edge of the town of Dumfries. The state highway heads northwest as Dumfries Road, a six-lane divided highway that passes southwest of the Dumfries Road Commuter Lot, a

park and ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, Rail transport, r ...

facility, before it meets I-95 at a partial cloverleaf interchange. North of Dumfries, SR 234 parallels Quantico Creek and follows the border of

Prince William Forest Park Prince William Forest Park is a National Park Service (NPS) site in the U.S. state of Virginia within Prince William County (and very partially Stafford County), located adjacent to the Marine Corps Base Quantico near the town of Dumfries. Est ...

to the southwest. The state highway also passes many residential subdivisions on the highway's northbound side in the community of Montclair, where the highway reduces to four lanes at Country Club Drive. SR 234 curves to the north at Independent Hill, which the highway bypasses. The old alignment through the village, which contains the remains of the

Greenwood Gold Mine The Greenwood gold mine operated in Prince William County, Virginia, United States, near the town of Independent Hill for a few years before closing in 1885.

, is designated SR 234 Old. SR 234 passes through the communities of

Canova Antonio Canova (; 1 November 1757 – 13 October 1822) was an Italian Neoclassical sculptor, famous for his marble sculptures. Often regarded as the greatest of the Neoclassical artists,. his sculpture was inspired by the Baroque and the clas ...

, Cornwell, and Lake Jackson, where the highway crosses the

Occoquan River The Occoquan River is a tributary of the Potomac River in Northern Virginia, where it serves as part of the boundary between Fairfax and Prince William counties. The river is a scenic area, and several local high schools and colleges use the r ...

just east of the community's namesake reservoir. Just north of Lake Jackson, the state highway intersects

(SR 294), which connects Manassas and Woodbridge. Just north of Prince William Parkway, Dumfries Road turns north toward the city of Manassas as SR 234 Business. SR 234 continues northwest as Prince William Parkway, a four-lane divided highway western bypass of Manassas. The state highway passes to the east of

Manassas Regional Airport Manassas Regional Airport , known as Harry P. Davis Field, is southwest of the center of Manassas. Manassas Regional Airport is the largest regional airport in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is located from Washington, D.C. History An airpo ...

, which is accessed via Clover Hill Road. Just north of the airport, SR 234 crosses over

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

's Washington District rail line, which is also used by

Virginia Railway Express Virginia Railway Express (VRE) is a commuter rail service that connects outlying small cities of Northern Virginia to Washington Union Station in Washington, D.C. It operates two lines which run during weekday rush hour only: the Fredericksbur ...

's Manassas Line, whose western terminus is at the Broad Run/Airport just to the west in the community of Bristow. Just north of the rail line, the state highway meets SR 28 (Nokesville Road) at a three-level interchange featuring flyover ramps from both directions of SR 28 to SR 234. SR 234 continues north past the Prince William Science and Technology Campus of

George Mason University George Mason University (GMU) is a Public university, public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., the university is named in honor of George Mason, a Founding Father ...

, which features the Hylton Performing Arts Center, then intersects SR 674 (Wellington Road) and Sudley Manor Drive, which connects Linton Hall to the southwest with Bull Run to the northeast. SR 234 continues northwest, intersecting Balls Ford Road before reaching a trumpet interchange with I-66, at exit 44 on I-66. SR 234 joins the interstate in a

east for three miles to a partial cloverleaf interchange with Sudley Road at exit 47, where SR 234 leaves the concurrency and meets the northern end of SR 234 Business. SR 234 heads north from I-66 as a four-lane divided highway that reduces to two lanes at the entrance to the Manassas Campus of

Northern Virginia Community College Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC and, informally, NOVA) is a public community college with six campuses and four centers in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. It is the third-largest multi-campus community college in t ...

, and then enters Manassas National Battlefield Park, site of the

First First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

and

Second The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...

Battles of Bull Run. The state highway intersects

US 29 U.S. Route 29 or U.S. Highway 29 (US 29) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs for from Pensacola, Florida, to Ellicott City, Maryland, just west of Baltimore, Maryland, in the Eastern United States, connect ...

(

Lee Highway The Lee Highway was a United States auto trail initially connecting from an eastern zero mile marker on the Ellipse in Washington DC to a western zero marker, the Pacific Milestone, in the center of San Diego, California — via the Ame ...

) within the battlefield park. After leaving the preserve, SR 234 passes through the community of Sudley Springs, where the highway crosses Little Bull Run and curves to the west. The state highway heads through the community of Catharpin before reaching its northern terminus at US 15 (James Madison Highway) in the hamlet of Woolsey north of Haymarket.

History

Most of SR 234 southeast of

, for 15.85 miles (25.51 km) from State Route 28 in Manassas towards State Route 31 (

) at

, was added to the state highway system in 1928 as State Route 709. The final 2.50 miles (4.02 km) were added in 1929, making SR 709 a continuous Manassas-Dumfries route. In the other direction, from Manassas northwest towards Gilberts Corner, 6.42 miles (10.33 km) were added in 1930 and 1931. In 1932, the rest of the road to Gilberts Corner, now State Route 705 and

north of Catharpin, was added to the state highway system. SR 709 became State Route 234 in the 1933 renumbering, as did State Route 721 (

Brunswick, Maryland Brunswick is a city in southwestern Frederick County, Maryland, Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The city is located on the north bank of the Potomac River; Loudoun County, Virginia, Loudoun County, Virginia occupies the opposite shor ...

to south of Purcellville, now State Route 287 and part of State Route 690). The gap from

U.S. Route 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...

at Aldie (west of Gilberts Corner) northwest to Philomont on State Route 734 and then north towards Purcellville on SR 690 was never filled. In the 1940 renumbering, the northern piece of SR 234 (through Purcellville) became part of State Route 17. SR 234 was rerouted to continue northwest on SR 734 from Philomont to Bluemont (also never transferred to the primary system), where it absorbed the short State Route 245 to State Route 7. At the same time, a short piece of SR 234 south of Gilberts Corner also became

. Also around that time, SR 234 was rerouted to head west rather than northwest from Catharpin, using a longer piece of new US 15 (from Woolsey north to Gilberts Corner). The piece at Bluemont was transferred to the secondary system in 1943, truncating SR 234 back to Gilberts Corner and beyond to its current end at US 15. In 2005, the Commonwealth of Virginia designated Route 234 between U.S. Route 1 and Interstate 66 as the Ronald Wilson Reagan Memorial Highway.

Recent construction

The 2005 widening of SR 234 to four lanes in the areas of

and

have resulted in some minor realignments. A former stretch of SR 234 through Canova has been renamed Canova Drive, and SR 234 was moved about 1 block east. At Independent Hill, Bristow Road has been extended onto former SR 234, and SR 234 itself was realigned about 300 meters north. During the late 1990s the SR 234 Bypass was constructed to route through traffic from

I-66 Interstate 66 (I-66) is a 76.32 mile east–west Interstate Highway in the East Coast of the United States, eastern United States. The highway runs from an interchange with Interstate 81 in Virginia, I-81 near Middletown, Virginia, on its w ...

to the southeast around downtown Manassas. The existing portion of SR 234 was renamed SR 234 Business.

Parkway initiatives

Bi-County Parkway

Th
Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance
has recommended a new limited access highway extending SR 234 past its intersection with I-66. The highway would junction and re-connect with current SR 234 in Catharpin near the Manassas National Battlefield, and then follow current SR 659 to US 50 in Loudoun County. The goal of the project is to connect Prince William County and Loudoun county to alleviate congestion between Manassas and

Washington Dulles International Airport Washington Dulles International Airport ( ) – commonly known by its former name of Dulles International Airport, by its airport code of IAD, or simply as Dulles Airport – is an international airport in the Eastern United States, located w ...

. While the Loudoun County Commonwealth Transportation Board has approved the project, many Prince William County residents oppose the plan. In March 2016, the Prince William County Board of Supervisors voted to remove the Bi-County Parkway from its long-range planning blueprint.

Tri-County Parkway

The Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance has also proposed a Tri-County Parkway. The highway would start near the intersection of SR 234 and SR 28 and follow Godwin Drive to I-66. It would then follow SR 621 east of Manassas National Battlefield Park, ultimately connecting to Loudoun County Parkway. The project would link Loudoun, Fairfax, and Prince William Counties and provide an alternate route between Manassas, I-66 and Washington Dulles International Airport. Some Prince William County supervisors support construction to extend Godwin Drive, as opposed to the Tri-County Parkway, due to the lower cost and lesser disruptive impact on residents and businesses. The project is supported by Prince William Supervisor Pete Candland.

Future

SR 234 and Balls Ford Road interchange

As a part of the Transform 66 project, the current at-grade intersection of SR 234 and Balls Ford Road will be converted to a

diverging diamond interchange A diverging diamond interchange (DDI), also called a double crossover diamond interchange (DCD), is a subset of diamond interchange in which the opposing directions of travel on the non-freeway road cross each other on either side of the inte ...

at a cost of $167 million. As a part of this project, Balls Ford Road will be realigned about south, where the interchange will be constructed, and a new grade-separated bridge will be built over the Norfolk Southern Railroad Line. In addition, Balls Ford Road would be widened from a two lanes street to a four-lane divided roadway between its intersection at Devlin Road / Wellington Road through the interchange to Doane Drive. This project coincides with a separate project to widen Balls Ford Road between Doane Drive to Ashton Avenue. Construction is expected to begin in fall 2020 and be completed in late 2022.

SR 234 and University Boulevard intersection

quadrant roadway intersection A quadrant roadway intersection adds an additional "quadrant roadway" between two legs of an intersection (road), intersection. This roadway adds two three-way junction, three-way intersections in addition to the original four-way intersection, m ...

is planned at the intersection of SR 234 and University Boulevard in Manassas. Construction is expected to start in fall 2020 and be completed in fall 2022.

Movie filming

A completed portion of the bypass was used prior to it being open to traffic as a scene in the 1998

disaster film A disaster film or disaster movie is a film genre that has an impending or ongoing disaster as its subject and primary plot device. Such disasters may include natural disasters, accidents, offensive (military), military/terrorism, terrorist att ...

, '' Deep Impact''. About 2,100 extras and 1,870 vehicles were used to stage the

traffic jam Traffic congestion is a condition in transport that is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. Traffic congestion on urban road networks has increased substantially since the 1950s, resulting in m ...

scene for that film.

Major intersections

Related routes

Route 234 Business (Manassas)

State Route 234 Business (SR 234 Bus. or 234-BR on some maps) in

is a bannered primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia, and traverses both

Prince William County Prince William County lies beside the Potomac River in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 482,204, making it Virginia's second most populous county. The county seat is the independent city of Manassas. A part ...

and the City of Manassas. SR 234 Business is known by three names: Dumfries Road in Prince William County and Manassas, Grant Avenue in the City of Manassas, and Sudley Road in the City of Manassas and Prince William County. SR 234 Business starts in the south as Dumfries Road as a four lane undivided highway. As it passes by the Prince William County fairgroundsPrince William County Fairgrounds
Retrieved October 8, 2009 before it enters the City of Manassas, it becomes two lanes. After entering the city, Dumfries Road passes by residential neighborhoods and becomes a four-lane divided road, and crosses Wellington Road. At Wellington Road SR 234 Business changes to Grant Avenue, which is a four lane undivided highway that passes by a townhouse development (''Georgetown South'') and retail developments before entering Old Town

and crossing over SR 28. Shortly after this point Grant Avenue reduces to two lanes, then divides into a

boulevard A boulevard is a type of broad avenue planted with rows of trees, or in parts of North America, any urban highway or wide road in a commercial district. In Europe, boulevards were originally circumferential roads following the line of former ...

with spaces for on-street parking, and passes by homes, some of which are

antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern US ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum architectu ...

in architecture. When Grant Avenue meets Sudley Road, SR 234 Business turns to the northwest along Sudley Road. This road is a four-lane divided highway that passes by the Manassas

U.S. Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal serv ...

, the Prince William Hospital (part of the Novant Health System), the

Manassas Mall Manassas Mall is a shopping center located in Bull Run, Virginia (near Manassas). Built in 1972, it is owned by Lionheart Capital LLC and managed by Spinoso Real Estate Group. formerly by Vornado Realty Trust which shelved its regional mall hol ...

, and several business establishments. SR 234 Business ends at the intersection with

, that also carries SR 234. SR 234 continues northward from there along Sudley Road. SR 234 Business was first formed as part of SR 234. When the

/ Manassas Bypass was completed, it was numbered SR 234, and the section through Manassas was renamed SR 234 Business.

References

External links

Virginia Highways Project: VA 234
{{Transit in NOVA

234 __NOTOC__ Year 234 (Roman numerals, CCXXXIV) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Pupienus and Sulla (or, less frequently, year 987 ''Ab urbe condita''). The ...

State Route 234 State Route 234