Interstate 66

Interstate 66 is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the eastern United States, connecting the Shenandoah Valley with the national capital region. It runs approximately 76 miles from an interchange with U.S. Route 29 in Strasburg, Virginia, to its eastern terminus at the same highway in Washington, D.C., near the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge. The highway serves as a critical commuter and freight corridor, linking the Washington metropolitan area with Interstate 81 and points west.

Route description

From its western terminus in Strasburg, Virginia, the route travels east through the rolling hills of the Piedmont region, passing near Front Royal and Gainesville. It enters the densely developed suburbs of Northern Virginia, where it widens to eight lanes and functions as a high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) facility during peak hours. The highway passes through Fairfax County and Arlington County, intersecting the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495) at a massive, multi-level interchange. Its final segment is a controversial, partially depressed and tunneled roadway through Arlington, ending at the Potomac River crossing into the District of Columbia.

History

The origins of the highway trace back to post-World War II planning efforts by the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Bureau of Public Roads to improve access to Washington, D.C. Its designation as part of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways was confirmed in 1956. Construction was highly contentious, particularly through Arlington, where community opposition led by activists like Lyonel Thomas "Tommy" Thomas resulted in a landmark 1972 lawsuit, Arlington Coalition on Transportation v. Volpe. This legal battle forced significant design changes, including the addition of noise walls and the prohibition of trucks. The final section through Arlington was completed and opened to traffic in 1982.

Major intersections

The western terminus is at U.S. Route 29 and a directional interchange with Interstate 81 in Shenandoah County. Proceeding east, key junctions include Virginia State Route 55 near Front Royal, U.S. Route 17 in Fauquier County, and U.S. Route 15 near Haymarket. In Prince William County, it meets Virginia State Route 234 (Sudley Road). Its most significant interchange is with the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495) near Dunn Loring. Within Arlington, it has interchanges with Virginia State Route 110 (connecting to the Pentagon) and U.S. Route 50 before reaching its eastern terminus at U.S. Route 29 in Washington, D.C., adjacent to the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge.

Auxiliary routes

Interstate 66 has one official, signed auxiliary route: Interstate 266, a short-lived designation for a proposed Three Sisters Bridge crossing of the Potomac River that was never built. The corridor is also served by several unsigned, state-maintained routes. These include Virginia State Route 300, a connector between I-66 and the Dulles Access Road near the Dulles International Airport, and Virginia State Route 6005, which comprises the collector-distributor lanes in Fairfax County. The Virginia Department of Transportation also manages the Interstate 66 Express Lanes, a dynamically tolled extension running from Gainesville to the Capital Beltway.

See also

* Interstate Highway System * Transportation in Washington, D.C. * Virginia Department of Transportation * Capital Beltway * HOV lanes in the United States

Category:Interstate Highways in Virginia Category:Transportation in Washington, D.C. Category:Transportation in Northern Virginia