History
Most of SR 234 southeast of Manassas, for 15.85 miles (25.51 km) from State Route 28 in Manassas towards State Route 31 (U.S. Route 1) at Dumfries, was added to the state highway system in 1928 as State Route 709. The final 2.50 miles (4.02 km) were added in 1929, making SR 709 a continuous Manassas-Dumfries route.
In the other direction, from Manassas northwest towards Gilberts Corner, 6.42 miles (10.33 km) were added in 1930 and 1931. In 1932, the rest of the road to Gilberts Corner, now State Route 705 and U.S. Route 15 north of Catharpin, was added to the state highway system.
SR 709 became State Route 234 in the 1933 renumbering, as did State Route 721 (Brunswick, Maryland to south of Purcellville, now State Route 287 and part of State Route 690). The gap from U.S. Route 50 at Aldie (west of Gilberts Corner) northwest to Philomont on State Route 734 and then north towards Purcellville on SR 690 was never filled.
In the 1940 renumbering, the northern piece of SR 234 (through Purcellville) became part of State Route 17. SR 234 was rerouted to continue northwest on SR 734 from Philomont to Bluemont (also never transferred to the primary system), where it absorbed the short State Route 245 to State Route 7. At the same time, a short piece of SR 234 south of Gilberts Corner also became U.S. Route 15. Also around that time, SR 234 was rerouted to head west rather than northwest from Catharpin, using a longer piece of new US 15 (from Woolsey north to Gilberts Corner). The piece at Bluemont was transferred to the secondary system in 1943, truncating SR 234 back to Gilberts Corner and beyond to its current end at US 15.
In 2005, the Commonwealth of Virginia designated Route 234 between U.S. Route 1 and Interstate 66 as the Ronald Wilson Reagan Memorial Highway.
Read more about this topic: Virginia State Route 234
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