State Route 620 in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

is a secondary state highway. The entire length of SR 620 is also known as Braddock Road (except for a small section in Centreville called Spindle Court). SR 620 also has a short concurrency with SR 659 / Union Mill Road in Centreville. In Centreville and Eastern Loudoun County, SR 620 is a major commuter route, as it empties onto SR 28 (Sully Rd.), which in turn has a nearby interchange with

Interstate 66 Interstate 66 (I-66) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It 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 Washingt ...

. SR 620 also has major junctions with SR 123,

Fairfax County Parkway The Fairfax County Parkway, numbered State Route 286 (SR 286, formerly SR 7100), is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia, acting as an arterial route in Fairfax County with a mix of interchanges and signalized an ...

, and

Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway) The Capital Beltway is a Interstate Highway in the Washington metropolitan area that surrounds Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and its inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. It is the basis of the phrase "inside th ...

. It has a very large number of residential neighborhoods lining the road, so most of the remainder is also a major commuter artery. The length and positioning of the highway attract motorists that are traveling from one part of Fairfax County to another.

Route description

East and Central Fairfax County

Braddock Road Accotink Creek crossing 2020b

SR 620 begins in

Fairfax County Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of Northern Virginia and borders both the city of Alexandria and Arlington County and forms part of the suburban ring of Washington, D.C. ...

at Columbia Pike ( SR 244) near Lake Barcroft and runs southward, crossing the

Little River Turnpike State Route 236 (SR 236) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs from U.S. Route 29 and US 50 in Fairfax east to SR 400 in Alexandria. SR 236 is a major suburban arterial highway that connects the inde ...

. It then intersects the

Capital Beltway The Capital Beltway is a Interstate Highway in the Washington metropolitan area that surrounds Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and its inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. It is the basis of the phrase " inside ...

, Interstate 495. SR 620, heading westward at this point, then passes north of

Burke Burke is an Anglo-Norman Irish surname, deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (–1206) had the surname ''de Burgh'' which was gaelicised ...

and intersects SR 123 near

George Mason University George Mason University (George Mason, Mason, or GMU) is a public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia with an independent City of Fairfax, Virginia postal address in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. The university was origin ...

. It remains well south of

Fairfax City The City of Fairfax ( ), colloquially known as Fairfax City, Downtown Fairfax, Old Town Fairfax, Fairfax Courthouse, FFX, or simply Fairfax, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. At the 2010 census the p ...

and meets the freeway portion of

. It then intersects SR 645 (Clifton Road) in

Clifton Clifton may refer to: People *Clifton (surname) *Clifton (given name) Places Australia * Clifton, Queensland, a town **Shire of Clifton *Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong *Clifton, Western Australia Canada *Clifton, Nova Scotia ...

, and next meets Union Mill Road. At this point, the road becomes New Braddock Road and SR 7783. New Braddock Road continues to SR 28.

In Centreville

While New Braddock Road continues straight, SR 620 itself is concurrent with SR 659 / Union Mill Road for one block. A new segment of Braddock Road (which shortly matches the old alignment of Braddock Road) starts here and heads west into Centreville. However, SR 620 quickly turns off onto a side-street, Spindle Court, and unceremoniously dead-ends behind Mountain View Alternative High School, creating another gap. The road that was SR 620 continues ahead as Old Braddock Road, SR 7759. Old Braddock Road continues ahead to Old Centreville Road (SR 898). That road connects to the beginning of the third segment of Braddock Road, which is located at a four-way intersection with

US 29 U.S. Route 29 (US 29) is a north–south United States highway that runs for from Pensacola, Florida to the western suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland in the Southern United States, connecting the Florida Panhandle to the Baltimore-Washington ...

. This third segment was originally connected with what is now Spindle Court, but when a shopping center was built, a dead end on Braddock Road was created, and was renamed Spindle Ct. This segment only lasts for 0.32 mile, before turning into Pickwick Road (SR 1021).

Western Fairfax County

Braddock Road picks up again on the other side of

I-66 Interstate 66 (I-66) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It 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 Washing ...

, at an intersection with SR 28. This fourth segment of SR 620 continues to the northwest, through several residential areas. It intersects with SR 609 (Pleasant Valley Road) and enters

Loudoun County Loudoun County () is in the northern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. In 2020, the census returned a population of 420,959, making it Virginia's third-most populous county. Loudoun County's seat is Leesburg. Loudoun C ...

Loudoun County

Keeping the SR 620 designation, Braddock Road forms the southern border of South Riding where it intersects with and is the southern terminus of Loudoun County Parkway, SR 606. It then intersects with SR 659 (Gum Spring Road). It ends at the roundabout with SR 705 (Lightridge Farm Rd.) in Stone Ridge. Braddock Road, now designated SR 705, continues northwest to

US 15 U.S. Route 15 (US 15) is a -long United States highway, designated along South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York. The route is signed north–south, from U.S. Route 17 Alternate in Walterboro, South Car ...

near Gilberts Corner. Braddock Road at Ferndale Street in North Springfield

Among the cities, towns and other landmarks traversed by SR 620 are: *the

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (also known as TJHSST, TJ, or Jefferson) is a Virginia state-chartered magnet high school in Fairfax County, Virginia operated by Fairfax County Public Schools. The school occupies the buil ...

lies near the intersection with

* Annandale *an intersection with the

* Centreville * Sully Station * South Riding

Future construction

Many residents oppose the possible new construction of a shopping center at the southwestern corner of the intersection of SR 620 and SR 659 (Gum Springs Road), directly behind the Virginia Manor neighborhood, due to concerns of increased traffic. Loudoun County supervisors will vote on a proposal in September 2019 for a different shopping center, located at the southeastern corner of the intersection. This proposal would include a new intersection being constructed for an entrance off SR 620 to the shopping center. Fairfax County is currently considering changes to SR 620 between Guinea Road and I-495. These include the improvement of pedestrian walkways and reconfiguration of certain intersections to decrease congestion in the area. The county's Department of Transportation has ruled out adding travel lanes to SR 620 or constructing a new park-and-ride and transit center due to the high costs.

History

Historically, SR 620 was known as Braddock Road. The road has historical significance in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, and portions of the road were established prior to British colonization of northern Virginia. Although the original Braddock Road was unified throughout its length, many portions of the original road have been transected, relocated or disjointed since the original path was defined (especially since the modern paved road system was constructed).

Establishment, including pre-colonization era

Braddock Road was originally composed of paths established by the Native American inhabitants of Northern Virginia. Later, British colonialists and Virginian governments developed and improved the paths into what became known as "Braddock's Road."

Colonial and revolutionary era

Price's Common, a market that operated during the colonial administration and was the site of the drafting of the

Virginia Declaration of Rights The Virginia Declaration of Rights was drafted in 1776 to proclaim the inherent rights of men, including the right to reform or abolish "inadequate" government. It influenced a number of later documents, including the United States Declaratio ...

signed by

George Mason George Mason (October 7, 1792) was an American planter, politician, Founding Father, and delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, one of the three delegates present who refused to sign the Constitution. His writings, including s ...

(and after which the

Bill of Rights A bill of rights, sometimes called a declaration of rights or a charter of rights, is a list of the most important rights to the citizens of a country. The purpose is to protect those rights against infringement from public officials and pri ...

of the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven ar ...

was modeled), was located by the intersection of Braddock Road and Backlick Road. Braddock Rd is so named as it was believed to be the route of the English General

Edward Braddock Major-General Edward Braddock (January 1695 – 13 July 1755) was a British officer and commander-in-chief for the Thirteen Colonies during the start of the French and Indian War (1754–1763), the North American front of what is known in Europe ...

's force during the French and Indian War. At the outset of the Braddock Expedition, the force was split into two groups. Braddock led the first group across the Potomac near Rock Creek and up to Frederick and Sir Peter Halkett led a second group through

Northern Virginia Northern Virginia, locally referred to as NOVA or NoVA, comprises several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is a widespread region radiating westward and southward from Washington, D.C. Wit ...

. Halkett's group marched past the Old Fairfax County courthouse (today

Tysons Corner Tysons, also known as Tysons Corner, is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, developed from the corner of Chain Bridge Road ( SR 123) and the Leesburg Pike ( SR 7). Located in Northern Virginia between the c ...

) and up to Coleman's Ordinary (today Northern

Herndon, Virginia Herndon is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area of the United States. The population was 23,292 at the 2010 census. In 2020, the population was estimated to be 24,532, which makes it the largest of three i ...

). It is unlikely that today's Braddock Road was the actual route taken by Halkett's group. Rather, they roughly followed the route of present-day

Leesburg Pike Virginia State Route 7 (VA 7) is a major primary state highway and busy commuter route in northern Virginia, United States. It travels southeast from downtown Winchester to SR 400 (Washington Street) in downtown Alexandria. Its ...

(Route 7).

Civil War

During the American Civil War, both Union and

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

troops traversed Braddock Road during various battles in Fairfax County and other parts of Northern Virginia. One of Mosby's Raiders, Robert Spindle, was a native of Centreville. Later, the part of SR 620 that was formed when Braddock Road was cut at US 29 was named after him, Spindle Court.Centreville and Virginia Run History
p. 5 Retrieved November 11, 2009

Modern era

With the advent of the modern road system, Braddock Road changed. In the 1930s after the Virginia Secondary Road system was created Braddock Road in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties was given the designation SR 620. In the 1960s I-66 was built coming through Centreville. At this point the section of SR 620 between SR28 south of I-66 and a point north of the new I-66 was deleted, and a new SR 620 entrance was created intersecting with SR 28 north of I-66. When SR 28 was widened from a 4-lane highway to a 6-lane one SR 620 was changed again. SR 620 south of I-66 no longer intersected with SR 28; SR 620 ended where Willoughby Newton Drive is now. In the 1980s a shopping center was built at the corner of U.S. 29 and Old Centreville Road. At that time the non-SR 620 section of Braddock Road was constructed linking SR 620 to Old Centreville Road. The intersection between SR 620 and U.S. 29 was cut, and this small portion of SR 620 was renamed Spindle Court. The

Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Loudoun County, Virginia is divided into eight magisterial districts: Algonkian, Ashburn, Blue Ridge, Broad Run, Catoctin, Dulles, Leesburg, and Sterling. The magisterial districts each elect one supervisor to the Board of Supervisors whi ...

undertook an effort in 1989 to give the county's roads names that were determined to be more historically accurate. The plan proposed to rename the county's portion of Braddock Road to Colchester Road, but this single change was removed immediately before adoption. In the 1990s New Braddock Road was constructed linking Union Mill Road to SR 28. This is when SR 620 was cut, so that, on the east side of Union Mill Road, the road is Braddock Road, and on the west side it is New Braddock Road. Braddock Road heading west now intersects with Union Mill Road one block to the north. The final change came in 2009. A barrier was erected on SR 28 that forced all traffic coming from SR 620 from the west to turn south on SR 28. Fairfax County considered changing the

intersection In mathematics, the intersection of two or more objects is another object consisting of everything that is contained in all of the objects simultaneously. For example, in Euclidean geometry, when two lines in a plane are not parallel, their i ...

between SR 123 and SR 620 to a full interchange. The designs considered are

diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the Chemical stability, chemically stable form of car ...

, a modified diamond interchange, an

SPUI A single-point urban interchange (SPUI, or ), also called a single-point interchange (SPI) or single-point diamond interchange (SPDI), is a type of highway interchange. The design was created in order to help move large volumes of traffic thr ...

, and a tight SPUI.123 / Braddock Rd. Interchange Presentation
March 4, 2009 Retrieved November 29, 2009 Ultimately, one left turn lane in each direction of SR 123 was added at the intersection, the left turn lane on eastbound SR 620 was extended, and new traffic signals were installed.https://relations.gmu.edu/Route-123-and-Braddock-Road-Presentation.pdf

Major intersections

References

{{Transit in NOVA 620 Fairfax and Loudoun State Route 620 State Route 620 State Route 620 State Route 620