the shirley highway is named in honor of henry g. shirley, the head of the virginia department of highways (now virginia department of transportation) from 1922 to 1941, who died in july, 1941, just a few weeks after giving the "go-ahead" for work on the new highway. the road was originally a four-lane highway, and it was designated state route 350 from its southern intersection with u.s. route 1 north of the occoquan river near woodbridge, virginia, and its northern intersection with u.s. route 1 near the pentagon in arlington, virginia.