State Route 611 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. ...

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 which traverses the eastern portion of the county. SR 611 provides a major artery for commuters, connecting the Eisenhower Valley section 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, Alexandria ...

with Lorton and points south along

US 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making i ...

. SR 611 is known by three names: Telegraph Road, Old Colchester Road, and Furnace Road.

Route description

Telegraph Road

Aftermath of the late March snowstorm on my way to work - 2

SR 611 starts as Telegraph Road at an intersection with SR 241, North Kings Highway, near Alexandria. North of this intersection Telegraph Road intersects with 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 ...

(

I-95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...

and I-495), and SR 236 (Duke Street). Telegraph Road starts as a six-lane divided highway, passing a short commercial section and a residential section. When Telegraph Road passes SR 644 (Franconia Road), it reduces to four lanes divided, and gradually reduces from there to two lanes undivided. Shortly before SR 611 intersects with SR 633 (South Kings Highway), it intersects with SR 1635 (Rose Hill Drive). Across from this intersection is the entrance to Lee District Park. As Telegraph Road approaches South Kings Highway it passes Greendale Golf Course to the northwest. As SR 611 approaches SR 613 (Beulah Street), it widens to four lanes divided. Throughout most of the route from SR 635 (Hayfield Road) to the

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 ...

it forms the northernmost boundary of

Fort Belvoir Fort Belvoir is a United States Army installation and a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. It was developed on the site of the former Belvoir plantation, seat of the prominent Fairfax family for whom Fair ...

. After intersecting with the Fairfax County Parkway, Telegraph Road gradually turns to the south and passes by an industrialized area. It ends at an intersection with

(Richmond Highway).

Old Colchester Road

On the other side of US 1, SR 611 becomes Old Colchester Road. Almost immediately it reduces to two lanes undivided. Shortly after this point it passes the rear side of the Noman M. Cole, Jr., Pollution Control Plant, which empties its treated water into nearby Pohick Creek. Old Colchester Road then crosses Pohick Creek, and soon after intersects with SR 242, Gunston Road. From there Old Colchester Road heads toward the Occoquan River. It first intersects with Furnace Road. One must turn west to stay on SR 611.

Furnace Road

Furnace Road starts out as a two lane undivided road. It crosses under railroad tracks owned by

CSX Transportation 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. ...

through a one-lane underpass. The road curves and is parallel with

, then turns and intersects with that road. On the other side of US 1, Furnace Road is four-lanes divided until an underpass with

, where it reduces to two lanes undivided. As it heads north, Furnace Road passes the I-95 Landfill (run by Fairfax County) to the west and a private landfill area to the east. The road turns slightly to the west and joins SR 642, Lorton Road at a

Y intersection A three-way junction (or three-way intersection) is a type of road intersection with three arms. A Y junction (or Y intersection) generally has three arms of equal size coming at an acute or obtuse angle to each other; while a T junction (or T i ...

. Shortly after, the two routes diverge in another Y intersection. SR 611 heads to the west, and ends at an intersection with SR 123, Ox Road.

History

Old Colchester Road

Old Colchester Road used to be a road leading to the seaport of Colchester, Virginia, which was on the banks of the

Occoquan River The Occoquan River is a tributary of the Potomac River in Northern Virginia, where it serves as part of the boundary between Fairfax and Prince William counties. The river is a scenic area, and several local high schools and colleges use the r ...

near the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augus ...

. Silt filled up the Occoquan River, making Colchester untenable as a seaport.

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

became the major seaport in the area, taking the place of Colchester. The result was that Old Colchester Road became a minor road, and much later was incorporated into SR 611 (Fairfax County).

Furnace Road

Furnace Road largely borders the old

Lorton Reformatory The Lorton Reformatory, also known as the Lorton Correctional Complex, is a former prison complex in Lorton, Virginia, established in 1910 for the District of Columbia, United States. The complex began as a prison farm called the Occoquan Work ...

property to the east. Part of that property has become Fairfax County's I-95 Landfill. The area to the east of the I-95 Landfill is owned by

Waste Management Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste, together with monitoring ...

is known as Lorton LandfillComprehensive Plan - Lower Potomac
p. 79 Retrieved January 21, 2010 Two large tracts south of the landfill are destined to become

Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority NOVA Parks (formerly named Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority) is an inter-jurisdictional organization that owns and operates more than 10,000 acres of woodlands, streams, parks, trails, nature reserves, countryside and historic sites ...

parkland, although right now (January 2010) they are just wooded land.Laurel Hill Master Plan
Retrieved January 20, 2010 North of the landfill is a tract that is destined to be parkland run by the

Fairfax County Park Authority The Fairfax County Park Authority is a department of the Fairfax County, Virginia county government responsible for developing and maintaining the various parks, historical sites, and recreational areas owned or administered by Fairfax County. Figu ...

, although it, too, is just a wooded piece of land.

Major intersections

References

{{commons category State Route 611 State Route 611 611 Fairfax