New eastbound Route 7 lanes open in Reston
Drivers in Virginia’s Route 7 between Reston Avenue and Riva Ridge Drive now have three eastbound travel lanes.
The new eastbound lane opened Friday ahead of schedule. It’s part of the Route 7 Corridor Improvements Project, which includes almost 7 miles between Reston Avenue and Jarrett Valley Drive in Fairfax County.
The project aims to widen the road from four to six lanes, add shared-use paths and “make substantial intersection and other improvements along the corridor,” the project website said.
A third westbound lane between Reston Avenue and Riva Ridge Drive is scheduled to open on Oct. 10, also ahead of schedule, a news release from the Virginia Department of Transportation said.
Project construction continues, however, and there will be lane closures during off-peak hours, when crews will relocate utilities, install stormwater management infrastructure and build other improvements along Route 7. That includes replacing a bridge over Difficult Run, construction on Lewinsville Road, and a new pedestrian underpass at Colvin Run Mill Park.
“This project hasn’t received as much attention as those on I-95 or I-66 but is a big one,” WTOP traffic reporter Dave Dildine said. “There was some major infrastructure relocation associated with this project. With the conversion through much of Loudoun County to a controlled access highway, combined with this newly widened segment in Fairfax County, Route 7 will become one of the pillars of the Northern Virginia road network.
Within the project limits, Route 7 averages 47,000 vehicles a day, VDOT said.
The project is expected to be completed in summer 2024.