Arlington County, Virginia area. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., of which it was once a part. With a land area of , Arlington is the geographically smallest self-governing county in the U.S., and by reason of state law regarding population density, has no incorporated towns within its borders. Due to the county's proximity to downtown Washington, D.C., Arlington is home to many important installations for the capital region and U.S. government, including the Pentagon, Reagan National Airport, and Arlington National Cemetery. Many schools and universities have campuses in
Construction of the Virginia approaches to Arlington Memorial Bridge Arlington County began budgeting for the construction of Lee Boulevard in November 1933. With no approach route actually having been chosen by both the state of Virginia and county of Arlington, study of all proposed routes continued. A joint CFA/NCPC study of the proposed approaches occurred on November 16, 1933. Three weeks later, the CFA recommended that bridges be built on both the north and south ends of Columbia Island, linking it with the mainland. The north bridge should link to Lee Boulevard, the commission said, and the south bridge should link to an approach from the south. By August