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Military Road (Arlington, Virginia)

Military Road
Length 2.2 mi (3.5 km)
South end US 29 at North Quincy Street in Arlington
Major
junctions
SR 120 in Arlington
North end North Old Glebe Road in Arlington

Military Road is a four-lane arterial road approximately 2.2 miles (4 km) in length in Arlington County, Virginia. It travels in a southeast-to-northeast direction, with its southern terminus at U.S. Route 29, where the roadway continues as North Quincy Road, and its northern terminus is at North Old Glebe Road near Virginia State Route 120 (SR 120).

Military Road was built in September 1861 to link several new forts built as part of the defenses of the city of Washington, D.C., during the American Civil War. It was constructed through dense forest in just three days by United States Army troops. It was the first of several "Military Roads" which were built near and through the city of Washington, and which eventually formed a network of such transportation thoroughfares essential to the city's defense. It was extended five miles (8.0 km) south (following what is now U.S. Route 29 east to the Potomac River, and then roughly following Virginia State Route 110) in the fall of 1862 and again later in the war until it ended near present-day Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Military Road remained under the federal government's control for many years. In 1890, the United States Congress passed legislation improving Military Road and turning it into a wide boulevard for traffic. The road was the subject of a major lawsuit around 1900. Part of Military Road passed through the "Murray Estate", a land grant stemming from the early days of European settlement in North America, and the owners of the estate proposed closing the section of the road which passed through their property. Arlington County officials refused to challenge the proposal, claiming this was a fight only for the federal government (owners of the road). The State of Virginia sued the owners, and in Commonwealth v. Howard P. Marshall a state court upheld the state's right to ensure an unimpeded roadway. After the introduction of the automobile, Military Road became a favorite of motorists cutting across Arlington County. In 1909, the federal government began posting military guards along the road to ensure that speed limits were obeyed. Later that year, the federal government won an eminent domain case against landowners who owned property to the east of Military Road, allowing the street to be expanded by 20 feet (6 m).


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Wikipedia

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