State Route 401 (SR 401) is a primary
state highway in the U.S. state of
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 ...
. Known as Van Dorn Street, the state highway runs from
SR 613 at the south city limit of the
independent city
An independent city or independent town is a city or town that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity (such as a province).
Historical precursors
In the Holy Roman Empire, and to a degree in its successor states ...
of
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
north to
SR 420 within Alexandria.
Route description
SR 401 begins at the south city limit of Alexandria, which is located on the north side of the underpass of
CSX
CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...
's
RF&P Subdivision
The RF&P Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation. It runs from Washington, D.C., to Richmond, Virginia, over lines previously owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad. ...
. Van Dorn Street continues south as SR 613 into
Fairfax County
Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of Northern Virginia and borders both the city of Alexandria, Virginia, Alexandria and ...
toward its interchange with
Interstate 95 (I-95)/
I-495 Interstate 495 (I-495) is the designation for several Interstate Highways in the United States, all of which are related to Interstate 95, listed from south to north:
* The Capital Beltway, a beltway around Washington, D.C., running through Virgin ...
(Capital Beltway) and
Franconia
Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian languages, Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch'').
The three Regierungsbezirk, administrative ...
. SR 401, which heads north as a four-lane
divided highway
A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...
, has an intersection with Eisenhower Avenue, an east–west arterial through the industrial southern edge of Alexandria, and has a
trumpet interchange
In the field of road transport, an interchange (American English) or a grade-separated junction (British English) is a road junction that uses grade separations to allow for the movement of traffic between two or more roadways or highways, usi ...
with a connector to Eisenhower Avenue and the
Van Dorn Street station
Van Dorn Street is a Washington Metro station straddling the boundary between Fairfax County and the independent city of Alexandria in Virginia, United States. The station’s island platform lies in unincorporated Rose Hill in Fairfax County, ...
on the
Washington Metro's
Blue Line. There is no ramp from the connector to northbound SR 401. The state highway crosses over
Norfolk Southern Railway's
Washington District
The Washington District is a Norfolk Southern Railway line in the U.S. state of Virginia that connects Alexandria, Virginia, Alexandria and Lynchburg, Virginia, Lynchburg. Most of the line was originally built from 1850 to 1860 by the Orange and ...
and Backlick Run and intersects Edsall Road.
SR 401 continues through a
partial cloverleaf interchange with SR 236 (Duke Street) adjacent to now-demolished
Landmark Mall. North of SR 236, the state highway becomes an undivided highway, crosses Holmes Run, and begins to closely parallel
I-395 (Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway). SR 401 continues northeast to a point within SR 420's (Seminary Road) overpass of the highway and the latter highway's
three-level diamond interchange
A three-level diamond interchange is a type of highway interchange where through traffic on both main roads is grade-separated from intersections which handle transferring traffic. It is similar in design to a three-level stacked roundabout exc ...
with I-395. Van Dorn Street continues northeast as an unnumbered street to its end at
SR 7 on the boundary between Alexandria and
Arlington. Access from Van Dorn Street to SR 420 is provided by a pair of intersections with Kenmore Avenue that lead to a pair of
right-in/right-out
Right-in/right-out (RIRO) and left-in/left-out (LILO) refer to a type of three-way road intersection where turning movements of vehicles are restricted. A RIRO permits only right turns and a LILO permits only left turns. "Right-in" and "left-in" r ...
intersections with the overpassing highway.
History
SR 401 was assigned to its present location, previously unnumbered, in the early 1980s, but it only ran as far north as SR 236. In the mid-1980s, it was extended to its current terminus at SR 420. Its current route was once part of Fairfax County, and the portion of SR 401 from immediately south of Edsall Road to its southern terminus was part of SR 613 until it was annexed by Alexandria in the 1950s.
Major intersections
References
External links
{{Attached KML, display=title,inline
Virginia Highways Project: VA 401
401
__NOTOC__
Year 401 ( CDI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Vincentius and Fravitus (or, less frequently, year 1154 ' ...
State Route 401