History
In 1911, the newly incorporated Washington and Old Dominion Railway purchased the property that now contains the Bluemont Junction Trail to accommodate a part of a planned connection between the railway's line that travelled between Alexandria and the town of Bluemont, Virginia (at the base of Blue Ridge east of Snickers Gap) and its line that travelled between Georgetown and Great Falls. The three-mile long double-track connection traveled between a site to be named "Bluemont Junction" in the valley of Four Mile Run and a site to be named "Thrifton Junction" near Lee Highway (now a part of U.S. Route 29). [5]
The connection opened on June 30, 1912, and became a part of the railway's main passenger line. After the portion of the railway that travelled between Thrifton Junction and Great Falls closed in 1934, the former connection remained as a part of the section of the railroad that traveled between Bluemont Junction and the railroad's Rosslyn terminal.
In 1960, the Virginia highway department began negotiations to purchase the portion of the line that traveled between Rosslyn and Washington Boulevard for the construction of a highway that was to become part of Interstate 66 (I-66). The purchase was made in July 1962 for $900,000. [6] [7]
In September 1963, the railroad stopped operating east of Washington Boulevard. In 1964, the railroad stopped using the portion of the line that remained between Washington Boulevard and Bluemont Junction. [8] After the highway department purchased the remainder of the railroad in 1968, the department sold to the Virginia Electric and Power Company (VEPCO) the portion of the railroad's former right-of-way that the department did not need for the construction of I-66 or for other transportation purposes. [9]
The Arlington County government subsequently acquired the portion of the railroad's former right-of-way that now lies between I-66 and Bluemont Junction. The County unofficially opened the Bluemont Junction Trail (by then in the County's Bluemont Junction Park) between Bluemont Junction and Fairfax Drive in August 1988 and officially with a celebration on October 8, 1988. [10]
Description
The Bluemont Junction Trail's northeast trailhead is located on the south side of Fairfax Drive near the eastbound exit ramp of Interstate 66 (I-66) (the Custis Memorial Parkway) in Ballston. [2] [11] North of the Drive, a 300-yard (274 m)-long connector trail travels along the westbound entrance ramp of I-66, crossing the highway to meet the Custis Trail, which travels east to Rosslyn, the Francis Scott Key Bridge and the Mount Vernon Trail. [2] [12] Shared use paths connecting to the Custis Trail and the Mount Vernon Trail cross the Potomac River on four bridges and provide access to Georgetown, the National Mall and downtown Washington, D.C. [2]
A northward extension of the Bluemont Junction Trail travels 388 yards (355 m) between the north side of Fairfax Drive and the south side of Washington Boulevard (Virginia State Route 237), where it connects to North Glebe Road (Virginia State Route 120). [2] [13] The trail meets at its northeast trailhead on-street bike lanes that travel between Ballston and Rosslyn on Fairfax Drive (Virginia State Route 237) and on Clarendon and Wilson Boulevards above the underground routes of Washington Metro's Orange and Silver lines. [2]
After leaving the northeast trailhead, the Bluemont Junction Trail travels 1.2 miles (1.9 km) southwest in Arlington County's Bluemont Junction Park, [3] crossing five streets at grade. [2] The trail reaches its southwest trailhead at an intersection with the W&OD Trail at Bluemont Junction, near Four Mile Run. [2] [14] A bridge over the Run connects the trail to the Four Mile Run Trail in Bluemont Park. [2]
The Bluemont Junction Trail's grade is generally small except near its southwest trailhead. The trail's elevation at its northeast trailhead at Fairfax Drive is 259 feet (78.9 m). [15] After reaching its highest elevation (275 feet (83.8 m)) at its crossing of Wilson Boulevard, [16] the trail descends to its southeast trailhead, where its elevation is 207 feet (63.1 m). [17]
Interstate 66 (I-66) is a 76.32 mile east–west Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. The highway runs from an interchange with I-81 near Middletown, Virginia, on its western end to an interchange with U.S. Route 29 (US 29) in Washington, D.C., at the eastern terminus. Much of the route parallels US 29 or State Route 55 (SR 55) in Virginia. I-66 has no physical or historical connection to US 66, which was located in a different region of the United States.
The Blue Line is a rapid transit line of the Washington Metro system, consisting of 28 stations in Fairfax County, Alexandria and Arlington, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; and Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The Blue Line runs from Franconia–Springfield to Downtown Largo. The line shares track with the Orange Line for 13 stations, the Silver Line for 18, and the Yellow Line for 7. Only 3 stations are exclusive to the Blue Line.
The Orange Line is a rapid transit line of the Washington Metro system, consisting of 26 stations in Fairfax County and Arlington, Virginia; the District of Columbia; and Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The Orange Line runs from Vienna in Virginia to New Carrollton in Maryland. Half of the line's stations are shared with the Blue Line and over two thirds are shared with the Silver Line. Orange Line service began on November 20, 1978.
Rosslyn is a heavily urbanized unincorporated area in Northern Virginia located in the northeastern corner of Arlington County, Virginia, north of Arlington National Cemetery and directly across the Potomac River from Georgetown and Foggy Bottom in Washington, D.C.
Ballston is a neighborhood in Arlington County, Virginia. Ballston is located at the western end of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor. It is a major transportation hub and boasts one of the nation's highest concentrations of scientific research institutes and research and development agencies including the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency-DARPA, the Office of Naval Research, the Advanced Research Institute of Virginia Tech, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and associated engineering, management, and public sector consulting firms. Ballston also contains a section known as Virginia Square and sometimes the area is collectively known as Ballston-Virginia Square.
Clarendon is an urbanized, upper-class neighborhood in Arlington County, Virginia, located between the Rosslyn area and the Ballston area. It was named after Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, a leading statesman and historian of the English Civil War. The main thoroughfares are Wilson Boulevard and Clarendon Boulevard.
State Route 120 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known as Glebe Road, the state highway runs 9.10 miles (14.65 km) from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Crystal City north to SR 123 at the Chain Bridge. SR 120 is a partial circumferential highway in Arlington County that connects the southeastern and northwestern corners of the county with several urban villages along its crescent-shaped path, including Ballston. The state highway also connects all of the major highways in Virginia that radiate from Washington, including Interstate 395, I-66, US 50, and US 29. SR 120 is a part of the National Highway System for its entire length.
The Washington and Old Dominion Railroad was an intrastate short-line railroad located in Northern Virginia, United States. The railroad was a successor to the bankrupt Washington and Old Dominion Railway and to several earlier railroads, the first of which began operating in 1859. The railroad closed in 1968.
The Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park is a linear regional park in Northern Virginia. The park's primary feature is the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Trail, an asphalt-surfaced paved rail trail that runs through densely populated urban and suburban communities as well as through rural areas. Most of the trail travels on top of the rail bed of the former Washington and Old Dominion Railroad, which closed in 1968.
The Mount Vernon Trail (MVT) is an 18-mile (29 km) long shared use path that travels along the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Northern Virginia between Rosslyn and George Washington's home at Mount Vernon. The trail connects the easternmost portions of Arlington County, the City of Alexandria, and Fairfax County, and travels mostly on dedicated trail with a small portion on city streets. As part of U.S. Bike Route 1, the Potomac Heritage Trail and the East Coast Greenway, the MVT opened in April 1972 as a gravel path and was subsequently expanded and paved.
Four Mile Run is a 9.4-mile-long (15.1 km) stream in Northern Virginia that starts near Interstate 66, at Gordon Avenue in Fairfax County and proceeds southeast through Falls Church to Arlington County in the U.S. state of Virginia. Most of the stretch is parkland and is paralleled by two paved non-motorized transport and recreational trails, the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Trail and the Four Mile Run Trail.
The Custis Trail is a hilly 4.5 miles (7.2 km)-long shared use path in Arlington County, Virginia. The asphalt-paved trail travels along Interstate 66 (I-66) between Rosslyn and the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Trail at Bon Air Park.
The Northern Virginia trolleys were the network of electric streetcars that moved people around the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., from 1892 to 1941. They consisted of six lines operated by as many as three separate companies connecting Rosslyn, Great Falls, Bluemont, Mount Vernon, Fairfax City, Camp Humphries, and Nauck across the Potomac River to the District of Columbia.
The Alexandria Canal was a canal in the United States that connected the city of Alexandria to Georgetown in the District of Columbia.
The Great Falls and Old Dominion Railroad (GF&OD) was an interurban trolley line that ran in Northern Virginia during the early 20th century.
State Route 237 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs 13.07 miles (21.03 km) from SR 236 in Fairfax east to U.S. Route 50 in Arlington. SR 237 connects Fairfax and Arlington with Falls Church. Between Fairfax and Falls Church, the state highway mostly runs concurrently with US 29. East of Falls Church, SR 237 parallels Interstate 66 (I-66) and connects several of Arlington's urban villages.
Nauck is a neighborhood in the southern part of Arlington County, Virginia, known locally as Green Valley. It is bordered by Four Mile Run and Shirlington to the south, Douglas Park to the west, I-395 to the east, and Columbia Heights and the Army-Navy Country Club to the north. The southeastern corner of the neighborhood borders the City of Alexandria.
The Wilson Boulevard–Vienna Line, designated as Route 1A, or Route 1B, is a daily bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Vienna station (1A) or Dunn Loring station (1B) of the Orange Line of the Washington Metro and Ballston–MU station of the Orange and Silver lines of the Washington Metro. This line provides service within the neighborhoods of Vienna, Merrifield and Ballston in Fairfax and Arlington counties. Alongside the neighborhoods, it also brings service through the marketplace, business, and offices within the counties.
Bluemont is a suburban neighborhood in Arlington, Virginia. As of 2020, the population is 7,049 people. The neighborhood is bounded on the north by Washington Boulevard and on the south by Carlin Springs Road. The western boundary is Four Mile Run and the eastern boundary is Glebe Road.
The Bluemont Junction was part of the Washington and Old Dominion Railway that began operation in 1912. Located in Bluemont, Arlington, the wye junction served as a transfer point for passengers and freight from Alexandria and Georgetown to points west ending at Bluemont, the a popular resort in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
