Drivers should expect more traffic changes and lane shifts on Route 7 beginning today (Monday) as work on the multi-year expansion project continues.

Drivers on westbound Route 7 and nearby side streets will see major lane shifts and traffic pattern changes between Baron Cameron Avenue and Utterback Store Road.

All westbound lanes will shift south between Baron Cameron Avenue and Utterback Store Road beginning today.

Detours are also in effect until June 2021 for Great Passage Boulevard and Riva Ridge Drive. Drivers are encouraged to followed signed detour routes along Kettle Pond Lane and Amanda Drive.

The project will widen seven miles between Reston Avenue and Jarrett Valley Drive, including widening the road from four to six lanes, adding 10-foot-side shared-use paths, and other intersection improvements.

The $313.9 million project is expected to be completed by the summer of 2024.

Photo via Virginia Department of Transportation

State crews are taking advantage of a major dip in traffic as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Virginia Department of Transportation is planning extended closures on several areas of Route 7 in order to fast track major improvements to the roadway.

The extended lane closures were temporarily extended due to “the significant decrease in traffic as a result of school closures, increased telework and limitations on public gatherings,” according to a statement from VDOT.

Here’s more from VDOT on what to expect through Friday, April 17:

ROUTE 7 EASTBOUND

Between Reston Avenue and Jarrett Valley Drive
Monday, March 30 – Friday, April 3, 8 a.m. to 5 a.m.
Left or right lane closed.

Between Baron Cameron Avenue and Jarrett Valley Drive
Sunday, March 29, 10 p.m. to Monday, March 30, 5 a.m.

Friday, April 3, 8 a.m. to Saturday, April 4, 9 a.m.
Saturday, April 4, 10 p.m. to Sunday, April 5, 8 a.m.
Left lane closed. Night work hours may be subject to change based on traffic conditions. 

ROUTE 7 WESTBOUND

Between Jarrett Valley Drive and Reston Avenue
Monday, March 30 – Friday, April 3, 7 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Left or right lane closed.

Between Jarrett Valley Drive and Baron Cameron Avenue
Sunday, March 29, 10 p.m. to Monday, March 30, 3 p.m.

Friday, April 3, 7 p.m. to Saturday, April 4, 9 a.m.
Saturday, April 4, 10 p.m. to Sunday, April 5, 8 a.m.
Left lane closed. Night work hours may be subject to change based on traffic conditions.

VDOT is working to improve a seven-mile stretch of Route 7 between Reston Avenue and Jarrett Valley Drive. The road will be widened from four to six lanes and several intersections will be updated.

Photo via VDOT

A new third left-turn lane is set to open next week from westbound Route 7 to westbound Baron Cameron Avenue.

The addition of the lane is the first of several major improvements planned for the Route 7 Corridor to improve the flow of traffic.

Construction between Reston Avenue and Jarrett Valley Drive is ongoing. The project will widen the ride from four to six lanes, add shared-use paths and upgrade several intersections between Reston Avenue and Jarrett Valley Drive.

The speed limit has been reduced to 45 miles per hour in active work zones between Reston Avenue and Delta Glen Court.

Eastbound Route 7 traffic turning right onto westbound Baron Cameron Avenue must yield to oncoming traffic before merging into the through lane.

The new lane will be open to traffic on Monday (August 19).

Map via Virginia Department of Transportation

A $313.9 million project is underway to improve almost seven miles of Route 7 between Reston Avenue and Jarrett Valley Drive. But before construction begins later this year, state transportation officials are courting public comment on the “Connect Route 7” project, which has been contemplated since 1975.

The project, which should be complete by July 2024, widens the road from four to six lanes, adds a 10-foot wide shared-use path on both sides, and improves several intersections along the corridor.

A public meeting on the project is set for May 7 from 7-9 p.m. at Forestville Elementary School (1085 Utterback Store Road) and on May 14 during the same time at Colvin Run Elementary School (1400 Trap Road). Experts will be on hand to answer questions about the project.

It’s possible that more than 500,000 square feet of noise barriers could be installed along the corridor, according to VDOT. Property owners will be surveyed to determine if noise barriers will be constructed.

The project will not be completed until July 2024. Utility relocation could take until the summer of 2023 and right of way acquisition will likely be complete by early 2021, VDOT says.

“These improvements will increase capacity, improve safety and traffic flow, and enhance mobility for cyclists and pedestrians, all in conformity with Fairfax County’s Comprehensive Plan.”

Map via VDOT

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is considering a proposal to widen a three-mile stretch on Route 7 from four to six lanes.

The project, which runs from Reston Avenue to Colvin Run Road, would require the removal of just under one acre of wetlands and 2,196 linear feet of streams — the equivalent of a little over seven football fields. Shirley Contracting Company, the applicant, is attempting to minimize the environmental impacts of the project by shifting the proposed realignment by several feet. This shift would save nearly three acres of wetlands and preserve 109 linear feet of streams, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Still, Shirley Contracting Company will have to provide roughly 1.9 acres of wetland credits and 2,101 feet of stream credits to offset the impact of the project on the environment. Credits are a way to create compensatory mitigation to ensure ecological losses to streams and wetlands do not result in a net loss of natural resources.

Intersection improvements, the replacement of the bridge over Difficult Run, shared-use paths, utility relocations and stormwater management are also planned. Roughly 1,600 linear feet of Colvin Run, which runs parallel to Route 7, will also be relocated.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will issue a permit for the project if it determines the project is in the public interest. “The decision will reflect the national concern for both protection and utilization of important resources,” according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The project must also get a green light from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

The public comment period ends on May 24. Written comments can be sent to [email protected] or by mail to Norfolk District, Corps of Engineers (ATTN: CENAO-WR-R), 803 Front Street, Norfolk, Virginia 23510-1011).

Map via U.S. Army Corps of Engineers