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Virginia State Route 7

Route map:
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the former State Route 7, see State Route 7 (Virginia 1918-1923).
"VA 7" redirects here. For the congressional district, see Virginia's 7th congressional district.
State Route 7 marker
State Route 7
Route information
Maintained by VDOT
Length72.75 mi[1] (117.08 km)
ExistedJuly 1, 1933[2]–present
Major junctions
West end US 11 / US 522 in Winchester
Major intersections
East end SR 400 in Alexandria
Location
CountryUnited States
StateVirginia
CountiesCity of Winchester, Frederick, Clarke, Loudoun, Fairfax, City of Falls Church, City of Alexandria, Arlington
Highway system
← SR 6→ SR 8

Virginia State Route 7 (VA 7) is a major primary state highway and busy commuter route in northern Virginia, United States. It travels southeast from downtown Winchester to SR 400 (Washington Street) in downtown Alexandria. Its route largely parallels those of the Washington & Old Dominion Trail (W&OD Trail) and the Potomac River. Between its western terminus and Interstate 395 (I-395), SR 7 is part of the National Highway System. In 1968, the Virginia State Highway Commission designated the road as the "Harry Flood Byrd Highway" between Alexandria and Winchester to commemorate Harry F. Byrd Sr. (1887–1966).[3]

Route description

[edit]
The west end of SR 7 at US 11/US 522 in Winchester

SR 7 begins downtown in the independent city of Winchester, as East Piccadilly Street at an intersection with U.S. Route 11 (US 11) and US 522, and it continues through the east end of the city, along North East Lane, National Avenue, and finally Berryville Avenue. SR 7 exits the city into surrounding Frederick County, where its name changes to Berryville Pike and it becomes a four-lane highway. SR 7 continues across I-81 and then into Clarke County.

SR 7 enters Clarke County from Frederick County, crossing Opequon Creek, and continues towards the town of Berryville. Business SR 7 (SR 7 Bus.) splits off just west of Berryville and passes through the town, while the main route bypasses the town to the north. Both routes cross US 340, and SR 7 Bus. rejoins SR 7 just east of the town. SR 7 crosses the Shenandoah River and its name changes to the Harry Flood Byrd Highway. SR 7 crosses the Loudoun–Clarke county line and the Appalachian Trail at the summit of Snickers Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

View west along SR 7 at US 15 in Leesburg

SR 7 descends out of the Blue Ridge Mountains and enters the rural western area of Loudoun County as Leesburg Pike at Snickers Gap. It intersects the northern end of the Snickersville Turnpike, and then it passes just north of the village of Bluemont (formerly Snickersville). Next SR 7 curves just south of Jefferson County, West Virginia.

SR 7 becomes a divided, limited-access highway with a speed limit of 55 mph (89 km/h) just west of the town of Round Hill, where another SR 7 Bus. splits off to serve the towns of Round Hill, Purcellville, and Hamilton, while the main road runs outside of the towns as a bypass. SR 7 Bus. rejoins the main road at the interchange with SR 9 in Paeonian Springs.

SR 7 continues towards the well-developed eastern half of Loudoun County as a four-lane divided highway with some at-grade intersections, and it passes through Clarke's Gap in Catoctin Mountain. Another SR 7 Bus. splits off on the western side of the town of Leesburg, the county seat of Loudoun County. The main road continues as the Leesburg Bypass, and merges with the bypass of US 15 around the southern side of Leesburg, while the business route passes through town as Market Street. SR 7 Business intersects with US 15 Business (King Street) by the county courthouse in the center of Leesburg.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has plans to widen the section of SR 7 between SR 9 and East Market Street.[4] However, due to highway budget restrictions, this project was put on hold in June 2008.[5] In December 2014, construction began on the widening of this section of SR 7. In addition to widening Westbound SR 7 from two to three lanes, the median was modified to limit left turns into and out of Roxbury Hall Road, Leeland Orchard Road, White Gate Place, and Beechnut Place.[6] In addition to the work on SR 7, roundabouts were installed at the interchange between SR 7 and SR 9. The southern roundabout combined the separate intersections of the on and off ramps from SR 7 and Colonial Highway/Dry Mill Road into one.[7]

The SR 7 bypass crosses the Washington & Old Dominion Trail just before the US 15 bypass splits off from SR 7 in eastern Leesburg, and then SR 7 Bus. rejoins the main highway near the same location. SR 7 continues on through the eastern half of Leesburg, with six lanes. It then crosses Goose Creek and passes through Ashburn.

SR 7 was rebuilt as a controlled-access highway through eastern Loudoun County. To accomplish this, highway interchanges were constructed replacing the ordinary intersections at Belmont Ridge Road, Claiborne Parkway, Ashburn Village Boulevard, and Loudoun County Parkway while closing the intersection at Lexington Drive. A new overpass was constructed to carry Sycolin Road across SR 7 in Leesburg, which opened to traffic on August 11, 2014.[8] An additional interchange was also opened at Battlefield Parkway in Leesburg on June 28, 2021.[9]

View west along SR 7 from SR 123 in Tysons

SR 7 continues as a controlled-access freeway and passes by numerous housing subdivisions, businesses, and shopping areas between an interchange with SR 28 and the Fairfax County line in Sterling.

SR 7 is named Leesburg Pike all the way across Fairfax County, where it is mainly a suburban route. It enters Fairfax County at the intersection with Dranesville Road (SR 228), approximately half a mile west of the interchange with the Fairfax County Parkway (SR 286) and Algonkian Parkway. It continues through Fairfax County, passing by subdivisions in unincorporated Great Falls, Vienna, and Reston. It passes through Tysons, where it has interchanges with SR 267 (the Dulles Access and Toll Roads) and SR 123 before passing south of the Tysons Corner Center shopping mall. It then intersects the Capital Beltway (I-495) in McLean and intersects I-66 a half mile (0.8 km) west of the West Falls Church Metro station.

View west along SR 7 in downtown Falls Church

SR 7 then enters the independent city of Falls Church and becomes Broad Street and marks the north/south division for city streets. The road intersects US 29 in the city's center and crosses the W&OD Trail in the city's west end. SR 7 then re-enters Fairfax County as Leesburg Pike and passes through Seven Corners, named for the five roads that intersect, including SR 338 (Hillwood Avenue) and US 50 (Arlington Boulevard), which is grade separated from the rest of the intersection. From there, it travels to Bailey's Crossroads, where it intersects SR 244 (Columbia Pike).

SR 7 enters the City of Alexandria from Fairfax County and briefly forms the border between the Alexandria and Arlington County, and then intersects I-395. It continues as King Street through Alexandria, passing by Alexandria City High School, George Washington Masonic National Memorial, Union Station (Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express), and the King Street–Old Town Metro station. SR 7 ends at the intersection of King Street and SR 400 (Washington Street) in Old Town Alexandria, one quarter of a mile (0.4 km) west of the Potomac River.

Future

[edit]

Intersection at Baron Cameron Avenue

[edit]

On August 19, 2019, a third left-turn lane was added from SR 7 west to Baron Cameron Avenue. [10] This was in place of constructing a partial interchange at the intersection, for which SR 7 east lanes would travel under Baron Cameron Avenue; the project was never started, as VDOT failed to allocate sufficient funding for the project and lack of competition led to higher than forecasted bids for the Route 7 widening. [11]

Fairfax County widening project

[edit]

VDOT is working on widening SR 7 from four to six lanes and adding shared-use paths along SR 7 between Reston Avenue and Jarrett Valley Drive in Fairfax County. [12] The project is expected to cost $313.9 million and should be completed by mid-2024. [13]

Renaming the highway in Loudoun County

[edit]

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted to rename the section of SR 7 within Loudoun County from Harry Byrd Highway to Leesburg Pike on December 7, 2021. This is in an effort to restore historical names and remove segregationist and Confederate symbols throughout the county.[14]

Major intersections

[edit]
CountyLocationmikmDestinationsNotes
City of Winchester0.000.00
 US 11 / US 522 (Cameron Street) to US 50		Western terminus; road continues as Piccadilly Street
Frederick​1.52.4 I-81 – Martinsburg, Roanoke, Virginia Inland PortI-81 exit 315
Clarke​8.814.2

 SR 7 Bus. east (West Main Street) – Berryville
​10.416.7 US 340 – Berryville, Charles TownInterchange
​1219

 SR 7 Bus. west (East Main Street) – Berryville
Webbtown1321 SR 608 (Wickliffe Road) – WickliffeFormer SR 282 north
Blue Ridge18.629.9Snickers Gap
Loudoun​19.130.7 SR 734 (Snickersville Pike)
​19.531.4
 SR 760 (Clayton Hall Road) to SR 734 – Bluemont, Philomont		Truck access to SR 734; former SR 234 south
​22.536.2

 SR 7 Bus. east (West Loudoun Street) – Round Hill
​23.738.1
 SR 7 Bus. – Round Hill, Purcellville		Interchange
Purcellville27.644.4

 SR 287 to SR 7 Bus. – Purcellville, Lovettsville		Interchange
Hamilton Station29.747.8 SR 704 – HamiltonInterchange
Clarks Gap3251

 SR 9 / SR 7 Bus. east – Hillsboro, Charles Town, WV, Purcellville		Interchange
​34.255.0

 SR 7 Bus. east – Leesburg		Interchange
Leesburg3658


 US 15 south / US 15 Bus. north – Leesburg, Warrenton		Interchange; west end of concurrency with US 15
36.859.2

 SR 267 Toll east – Dulles Airport, Washington		SR 267 exit 1; western terminus of SR 267
37.860.8


 US 15 north / SR 7 Bus. west / Fort Evans Road – Frederick, MD, Leesburg		Interchange; east end of concurrency with US 15
38.662.1 Battlefield Parkway – Leesburg AirportInterchange
39.563.6River Creek Parkway / Crosstrail BoulevardInterchange
Belmont–Lansdowne line40.765.5 SR 659 (Belmont Ridge Road)Interchange
Ashburn Junction41.867.3

 SR 901 south (Claiborne Parkway) / SR 2400 north (Lansdowne Boulevard) – Lansdowne, Ashburn		Interchange
Ashburn–Lansdowne line42.668.6 SR 2020 (Ashburn Village Boulevard) – Shenandoah UniversityInterchange
Ashburn–University Center line43.870.5 SR 607 (Loudoun County Parkway)Interchange
Dulles Town Center45.172.6
 SR 28 south – Dulles Airport, Centreville		Interchange; northern terminus of SR 28
Dulles Town Center–Countryside line45.673.4 SR 1582 (Algonkian Parkway / Atlantic Boulevard) – Dulles Town CenterInterchange
Dulles Town Center–Cascades line4776 SR 1794 (Cascades Parkway) – Cascades, SterlingInterchange
Sterling–Sugarland Run line48.177.4 SR 846 (Cardinal Glen Circle / Sterling Boulevard) – Sterling Park
FairfaxHerndon Junction4979
 SR 228 south (Dranesville Road)
Dranesville49.479.5

 SR 286 south (Fairfax County Parkway) / SR 6220 north (Algonkian Parkway)		Interchange; northern terminus of SR 286; southern terminus of SR 6220
50.781.6

 SR 193 east (Georgetown Pike) / SR 602 north – Great Falls, Langley		West end of concurrency with SR 602; western terminus of SR 193
Reston51.382.6
 SR 602 south (Reston Parkway)		East end of concurrency with SR 602
Browns Chapel52.985.1
 SR 606 west (Baron Cameron Avenue) / SR 674 (Springvale Road) – Herndon, Reston
Tysons57.893.0
 SR 267 Toll – Washington, Dulles Airport (via Dulles Access Road)		SR 267 exit 16
59.195.1
 SR 123 to I-495 – McLean, Vienna		Interchange
59.595.8


 SR 684 to I-495 Express north / International Drive / Gallows Road
59.796.1Fashion Boulevard – Tysons Corner Center
60.196.7 I-495 (Capital Beltway) / I-495 Express south – Rockville, Baltimore, Richmond, AlexandriaI-495 exit 47
Idylwood61.498.8 I-66 – Washington, Front Royal, West Falls ChurchI-66 exit 66
City of Falls Church63.3101.9 US 29 (Washington Street) / SR 237
FairfaxSeven Corners64.2103.3

 SR 338 west (Hillwood Avenue) to US 29		Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
64.4103.6 US 50 (Arlington Boulevard) / SR 613 (Wilson Boulevard / Sleepy Hollow Road) – Washington, Arlington, Clarendon, FairfaxInterchange
Bailey's Crossroads66.4106.9 SR 244 (Columbia Pike) – Arlington, AnnandaleInterchange
City of Alexandria68.5110.2 I-395 – Richmond, WashingtonI-395 exit 5
69.3111.5 SR 402 (North Quaker Lane)
70.5113.5 SR 420 (Janney's Lane)
71.8115.6
 US 1 south (Henry Street)		One-way pair
71.9115.7
 US 1 north (Patrick Street)
72.7117.0 SR 400 (Washington Street) / George Washington ParkwayEastern terminus; no left turn in any direction; continues east as King Street
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Special routes

[edit]

Berryville business route

[edit]
Business plate.svg
State Route 7 Business marker
State Route 7 Business
LocationBerryville
Length3.05 mi[1] (4.91 km)
View west at the east end of SR 7 Bus. at SR 7 just east of Berryville

State Route 7 Business (SR 7 Bus.) is a business route in the U.S. state of Virginia. It follows Main Street through downtown Berryville.

Purcellville business route

[edit]
Business plate.svg
State Route 7 Business marker
State Route 7 Business
LocationPurcellville
Length9.28 mi[1] (14.93 km)
Existed1980–present
Tourist
routes		 Virginia Byway
View west along SR 7 Bus. at SR 287 in Purcellville

State Route 7 Business (SR 7 Bus.) is a business route in the U.S. state of Virginia. It runs 9.28 miles (14.93 km) from SR 7 just west of Round Hill to SR 9 just west of Leesburg,[1] where the roadway continues east and south as SR 699. The route provides access from the main route, SR 7, to Purcellville. The route has multiple names along its length including Loudoun Street, Main Street, and Colonial Highway. The route was formed in two segments. The first one was formed in 1980,[15] and the second one was formed in 1987.[16]

The route's western end is at its parent route, SR 7. It then intersects New Cut Road and Main Street, both part of SR 719. It meets SR 7 once again at a diamond interchange. After that, the route meets State Route 287 (SR 287) at a roundabout. The route's eastern end is at State Route 9 (SR 9) (Charles Town Pike), where it goes east and south as SR 699 (Dry Mill Rd.).[1]

The first segment of the route was commissioned in 1980 between SR 287 and SR 9.[15] The second segment of the route was commissioned in 1987 between SR 287 and SR 7.[16] These segments were both designated along the former alignment of its parent route, SR 7.[15][16]

Leesburg business route

[edit]
Business plate.svg
State Route 7 Business marker
State Route 7 Business
LocationLeesburg
Length2.39 mi[1] (3.85 km)
Tourist
routes		 Virginia Byway
View west at the east end of SR 7 Bus. at US 15 in Leesburg

State Route 7 Business (SR 7 Bus.) is a business route in the U.S. state of Virginia. It follows Market Street through downtown Leesburg. In downtown Leesburg, SR 7 Bus. intersects with US 15 Bus.


References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f "2010 Traffic Data". Virginia Department of Transportation. 2010. Retrieved 2011-12-21.
  2. ^ "New Numbers of Va. Highways Effective July 1". The Richmond Times-Dispatch. May 10, 1933. p. 5. Retrieved January 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ "Minutes of Meeting of State Highway Commission: Charlottesville, Virginia: November 26, 1968" (PDF). Commonwealth Transportation Board. p. 1. Retrieved June 26, 2020. Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ "Supervisors Balk At $1 Billion Road Construction Proposal". Leesburg Today. March 5, 2009. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013.
  5. ^ "NoVA Phase Cuts: Cancelled and Unfunded Projects" (PDF). Virginia Department of Transportation. June 6, 2008. p. 1. Retrieved January 13, 2010.
  6. ^ "Route 7 Truck-Climbing Lane and Operational Improvements". VDOT Northern Virginia Projects Under Construction. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  7. ^ "Construction To Begin On Rt. 7 Widening, Interchange Roundabouts". Leesburg Today. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  8. ^ Grant, April. "Leesburg Celebrates The Reopening of Sycolin Road". Leesburg Today. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  9. ^ "Route 7 at Battlefield Parkway in the Town of Leesburg". Virginia Department of Transportation. June 29, 2021.
  10. ^ "New Turn Lane Opens at Baron Cameron Avenue in Reston - Newsroom | Virginia Department of Transportation". www.virginiadot.org. Retrieved 2019-08-23.
  11. ^ Trompeter, Brian (February 19, 2019). "Group blasts VDOT's at-grade intersection plan for Route 7, Baron Cameron". INSIDENOVA. Retrieved 2019-08-23.
  12. ^ "Route 7 Corridor Improvements". connectroute7.org. Retrieved 2019-08-23.
  13. ^ Trompeter, Brian (June 17, 2019). "It's a go: Work to kick off on major Route 7 widening". INSIDENOVA. Retrieved 2019-08-23.
  14. ^ "Renaming Route 7 and Route 50". Loudoun County, Virginia official website. December 7, 2021. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
  15. ^ a b c State Highway and Transportation Commission (August 21, 1980). "Minutes of Meeting" (PDF) (Report). Richmond: Commonwealth of Virginia. p. 23. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  16. ^ a b c Commonwealth Transportation Board (November 19, 1987). "Minutes of Meeting" (PDF) (Report). Richmond: Commonwealth of Virginia. pp. 2–3. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
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