Loudoun County to Proceed With Plans on Route 7 Widening Project (ICYMI)

The Loudoun county government issued a “notice to proceed” on the Route 7/Route 659 (Belmont Ridge Road) interchange and widening project on September 14th. The county has also launched a web page at www.loudoun.gov/Route7-659 to keep the public updated on the progress of the project.

The $48.3 million project was awarded to Shirley Contracting in May and is estimated to take 3 years to complete. Project plans include approximately reconstructing 1.4 miles of Belmont Ridge Road from two-lanes to a four-lane divided section from the interchange limits at Route 7 to Gloucester Parkway. Additional plans entail redesigning the current Route 7/659 intersection to a grade-separated interchange in accordance with the Countywide Transportation Plan.

“This project is one of Loudoun County’s top transportation priorities because, when completed, the interchange will help ease traffic congestion along Route 7,” explained Glen Barbour, spokesperson for County of Loudoun. “In addition to the Route 7/659 interchange that is now underway, the county has two more interchanges planned along Route 7 that will ultimately turn Route 7 into what’s called a limited access road; we’re taking out the traffic signals.”

“When the three interchanges are complete, Route 7 will basically be a freeway between Countryside Boulevard in the Sterling/Potomac Falls area and East Market Street in Leesburg,” Barbour added.