Prince William Parkway Gets New Name

Prince William Parkway is one of three Northern Virginia roadways renamed because of changes made by the Virginia Department of Transportation, WTOP reports.

Prince William Parkway, also known as Route 3000, is now Route 294, according to VDOT officials. 

The name changes are brought on by VDOT officials giving the roadway primary road status, making the roads eligible for new funding and maintenance priorities.

The Fairfax County Parkway (Route 7100) and Franconia-Springfield Parkways (Route 7900) are the other roadways receiving name changes and are now known as Routes 286 and 289, respectively.

"As primary roads, the routes can receive federal funding for paving, guardrail, bridge improvements and other projects," VDOT officials said in a press release. "Federal funding typically covers 80 percent of the cost to maintain interstates and primary roads, with the remaining 20 percent from state funds."

Over the next three months, VDOT will be placing signs with new route numbers and additional signs indicating, "Old Route 3000." VDOT officials said drivers will see the old route number alongside the new route number for about a year so that hotels, businesses, map companies, etc. have ample time to update their materials.  

"Roads may be considered for the transfer from secondary to primary when they meet a majority of certain criteria, such as carrying a minimum traffic volume; carrying a minimum percentage of out-of-state, truck, tractor-trailer, or bus traffic; and serving as a link for highways, county seats or sites of historic or scenic interest," according to the VDOT press release.

Prince William Parkway, which spans 16-miles from Route 1 to Route 234, carries between 25,000 and 54,000 vehicles each day, according to VDOT data.