Route Description
Route 27 is the portion of Washington Boulevard east and south of US 50 (Arlington Boulevard). From US 50, Route 27 has two interchanges with Route 244 (Columbia Pike) on either side of the Mixing Bowl Route 27 runs northwest-to-southeast on the west side of the Mixing Bowl and runs southwest-to-northeast on the east side of the Mixing Bowl. It is a limited-access, four- or six–lane divided highway for its entire length.
More specifically, Route 27 begins in an interchange with US 50. Route 27 has an interchange with 2nd Street South, which serves as an entrance to Fort Myer. The first interchange with Route 244 offers a very short merge area because of the proximity to the exit ramps to I-395 and Arlington Ridge Road.
East of the Mixing Bowl, Route 27 runs past the Pentagon (with a second interchange for Route 244) in the direction of the George Washington Memorial Parkway and the Arlington Memorial Bridge, ending at the Boundary Channel, which is the border with the District of Columbia. Route 27 is part of the National Highway System with the portion west of the Mixing Bowl designated as part of the Strategic Highway Network and the part east of the Mixing Bowl designated an arterial highway.
On the segment west of the Mixing Bowl, Route 27 has an interchange with 2nd Street South, which serves as an entrance to Fort Myer. The first interchange with Route 244 offers a very short merge area because of the proximity to the exit ramps to I-395 and Arlington Ridge Road. The Mixing Bowl is the first interchange in Northern Virginia with a three level bridge—ramp from I-395 to westbound Route 27 on the lowest level, eastbound Route 27 to Mixing Bowl in the middle; and southbound I-395 on top. In 1970 this was followed by a second three level stack—Joyce Street South on the lowest level, eastbound Route 27 on the middle bridge and I-395 on the top level.
At this point, Route 27 becomes a part of the collector lanes and ramps of the Mixing Bowl until its second interchange with Route 244. Also, coincident with the second Route 244 interchange, Route 27 is the northern terminus of the reversible high occupancy vehicle lanes of I-395. The westbound entrance to these lanes have a series of manually closed barriers to prevent an accidental oncoming collision during the hours each day when traffic flows to the east on the HOV lanes. The final interchange in Virginia accesses Route 110, the Pentagon North Parking Lot and Boundary Channel Drive. Although the ramp from eastbound Route 27 to northbound Route 110 is open to the public, it is on the Pentagon Reservation and is patrolled by the Pentagon Police.
Route 27 is closed for large events held at the Pentagon including the annual Marine Corps Marathon and the Army Ten-Miler. A number of points of interest are visible from the highway, including (from west to east) Fort Myer (which was the site of the first military test flight), Henderson Hall (the headquarters of the United States Marine Corps), the United States Air Force Memorial, the Pentagon, the Navy Annex, the Pentagon Memorial, the Pentagon City Mall, and Arlington National Cemetery.
Read more about this topic: Virginia State Route 27
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