State Route 120 (Virginia)

State Route 120 (Virginia)
No machine-readable author provided. NE2 assumed (based on copyright claims). · Public domain · source
State	VA
Type	VA
Route	120
Length mi	8.01
Established	1940s
Direction a	South
Terminus a	Alexandria
Direction b	North
Terminus b	McLean
Counties	Alexandria (independent city), Fairfax County

Contents

State Route 120 (Virginia) is a primary state highway located in Northern Virginia that connects the independent city of Alexandria with the communities of Arlington County and McLean in Fairfax County. The route serves as a major commuter corridor providing access to I-395, I-495, and several federal installations such as the Department of Defense complexes near The Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency (Langley). It is locally known for portions named as part of Duke Street and Chain Bridge Road.

Route description

SR 120 begins in Old Town Alexandria at an intersection with U.S. Route 1 near the Potomac River waterfront and travels westward through the grid of streets near landmarks including George Washington Masonic National Memorial, Alexandria City Hall, and the Torpedo Factory Art Center. The route crosses into Arlington County where it provides connections to U.S. Route 50 and offers access to Arlington National Cemetery and Arlington Ridge Park. Continuing northwest, SR 120 ascends and follows a corridor adjacent to George Washington Memorial Parkway and passes by Fort Myer and the Air Force Memorial. North of Rosslyn, the highway becomes a primary arterial providing links to the George Washington University Hospital medical complex and the Rosslyn Metro station for Washington Metro access. Approaching McLean, the route continues as Chain Bridge Road, crossing suburban commercial districts and intersecting with SR 123 near the Langley Fork, close to the CIA campus and terminating near Chain Bridge over the Potomac River into Washington, D.C..

The corridor that now carries SR 120 developed from 19th-century turnpikes and early 20th-century municipal streets linking Alexandria and the emerging suburbs across the Potomac basin. During the Great Depression era and the subsequent expansions driven by World War II, federal investment in roadways near The Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery catalyzed upgrades. Postwar suburbanization associated with entities like the Federal Housing Administration and transportation planning by the National Capital Planning Commission shaped SR 120 into a primary arterial. In the 1950s and 1960s, construction of I-95 and the Capital Beltway induced realignments and interchange additions. Late 20th-century projects coordinated with the Virginia Department of Transportation and regional bodies such as the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments addressed increasing commuter volumes, while preservation interests linked to Alexandria Historic District influenced streetscape decisions.

- Southern terminus: intersection with U.S. Route 1 in Old Town Alexandria - Junction with I-395 providing access toward Washington, D.C. and Richmond - Intersection with U.S. Route 50 near Arlington - Connections to SR 244 serving Columbia Pike - Interchange proximity to I-66 via local arterials toward Fairfax County - Intersection with SR 123 near McLean - Northern terminus: approach to Chain Bridge and links to regional crossings into Washington, D.C.

Planned improvements for the SR 120 corridor have been coordinated by the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, with studies involving multimodal measures referencing agencies such as the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and the Federal Highway Administration. Proposals include intersection redesigns influenced by traffic modeling from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, pedestrian and bicycle enhancements in line with guidance from the National Association of City Transportation Officials, and transit priority measures to integrate with WMATA Metrobus and potential Bus Rapid Transit corridors. Capital investment considerations have appeared in regional transportation improvement programs alongside projects like the Capital Beltway HOT Lanes and long-range plans tied to Commuter rail and Metrorail extensions debated by local jurisdictions.

SR 120 interfaces with a network of numbered highways and local arterials, including U.S. Route 1, U.S. Route 50, I-395, I-66, I-495, SR 7, SR 123, and SR 244. The corridor connects to regional transit nodes serving Washington Metro lines such as the Orange Line, Blue Line, and Silver Line, as well as commuter services like Virginia Railway Express and MARC Train operations that link to Union Station.