Old Dominion Drive (Arlington County)

Old Dominion Drive (Arlington County)
Name	Old Dominion Drive
Location	Arlington County, Virginia
Length mi	approx. 3.0
Maint	Arlington County Department of Environmental Services
Direction a	West
Terminus a	Georgetown Pike / Langley
Direction b	East
Terminus b	Washington Street / Rosslyn

Old Dominion Drive (Arlington County) is a principal east–west arterial in northern Arlington County, Virginia connecting residential neighborhoods, commercial corridors, and federal facilities between the Potomac waterfront and suburban Arlington. The roadway serves as a spine linking local streets with regional thoroughfares and provides access to parks, public institutions, and transit nodes near Rosslyn and the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Old Dominion Drive is paralleled by other important links such as Lee Highway, Spout Run Parkway, and Chain Bridge Road.

Route description

Old Dominion Drive begins near the George Washington Memorial Parkway corridor adjacent to Mason District Park and proceeds eastward through northern Arlington, intersecting primary routes including Spout Run Parkway, Chain Bridge Road, and Pershing Drive (Arlington County). The roadway traverses mixed-use commercial strips near Clarendon and residential blocks bordering Waverly Hills, Cherrydale, and Rosslyn. It crosses minor tributaries and green spaces associated with Donaldson Run and provides connections to regional bike and pedestrian networks linked to Custis Trail and the Mount Vernon Trail. Approaching its eastern terminus, Old Dominion Drive descends toward the Potomac River bluffs and connects with the Rosslyn street grid adjacent to Key Bridge, Arlington Memorial Bridge, and the Francis Scott Key Bridge approaches.

History

Old Dominion Drive developed from 19th-century rural lanes serving estates and farms in northern Arlington County, paralleling early carriage routes to Georgetown (Washington, D.C.) and Alexandria, Virginia. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries the corridor was influenced by suburbanization tied to the Great Falls and Old Dominion Railroad alignments and the expansion of Washington, D.C. suburbs after the Civil War. Mid-20th century improvements corresponded with county planning initiatives tied to the Washington National Airport era and the growth of federal agencies in Rosslyn–Ballston corridor plans championed by local planners and figures associated with the Arlington County Board and Northern Virginia Transportation Commission. Historic buildings and estates along the drive reflect architectural movements including Colonial Revival architecture in the United States and influences from architects connected to projects near Georgetown University and Virginia Theological Seminary. Recent decades have seen multimodal upgrades influenced by regional agencies such as the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

Major intersections

Old Dominion Drive intersects a sequence of arterial and collector streets that include: Chain Bridge Road (SR 123), Military Road, Wilson Boulevard, Lee Highway (US 29), and the Rosslyn tunnel approaches near North Lynn Street. These junctions link Old Dominion Drive to regional corridors such as Interstate 66, U.S. Route 50 in Virginia, and surface approaches to Key Bridge and the Francis Scott Key Bridge routes toward Foggy Bottom and Georgetown University Hospital.

Transportation and transit connections

Old Dominion Drive is served by regional and local transit provided by WMATA Metrobus, Arlington Transit (ART), and private commuter services connecting to the Rosslyn station complex on the Orange Line, Blue Line, and Silver Line. Proximity to Rosslyn allows transfers to Capital Bikeshare stations, commuter bus lines to Tysons Corner and McLean, and pedestrian access to the Custis Trail which parallels the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park. Traffic management along Old Dominion Drive coordinates with signal systems tied to Arlington County traffic engineering and corridor studies undertaken with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

Surrounding neighborhoods and land use

The corridor abuts residential neighborhoods including Cherrydale, Boulevard Manor, and Waverly Hills, featuring single-family houses, garden apartments, and townhouse developments influenced by mid-century suburban planning strategies used across Fairfax County, Virginia and Alexandria, Virginia. Commercial nodes near Clarendon and Rosslyn provide retail, dining, and office space linked to employers in Crystal City and the Pentagon. Public land uses include parks administered by Arlington County Parks and Recreation and conservation areas connected to the George Washington Memorial Parkway and Potomac River National Park Service holdings.

Notable landmarks and points of interest

Prominent landmarks accessible from Old Dominion Drive include the Rosslyn Twin Towers, the Arlington Arts Center, historic estates with ties to families prominent in Arlington County history, and civic amenities such as neighborhood libraries affiliated with the Arlington Public Library. Proximity to federal memorials and institutions such as the Arlington National Cemetery, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Key Bridge approaches, and the Iwo Jima Memorial places the drive within a network of nationally significant sites. Cultural and recreational points include access to the Mount Vernon Trail, local historic churches with connections to dioceses like the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, and community parks that host events coordinated with organizations such as the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust and Arlington Historical Society.

Category:Streets in Arlington County, Virginia