Contractor to Bring Numerous Upgrades to Route 37

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In 2019, Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) began construction on a 7-mi. stretch of Route 7 to add an additional lane in each direction. The job is expected to be completed no later than July 31, 2024. The cost will be $314 million with Shirley Contracting as the lead contractor.

The task is a daunting one as Route 7 touches 36 homeowners associations. Cooperation has been the operative word as VDOT has held numerous public information, HOAand community meetings to gather local input.

Drivers experience severe bottlenecks during morning and evening commutes on this road, which has been a headache for travelers for some time. VDOT planners are looking to fix this corridor for travelers today and for the future. The road currently carries 52,000 vehicles per day with predictions for an increase to 86,000 by 2040.

Adding lanes to Route 7 is just one part of the complex project that will relieve congestion, improve safety and provide increased mobility for cyclists and pedestrians. In addition, project planners are coordinating with Washington Gas, which is making a $200 million upgrade to lines in the area.

Transportation Upgrades

The Route 7 project will touch the local communities in numerous ways beyond the expansion of the corridor from four lanes to six lanes. The list of improvements made by Shirley Contracting and subcontractors include:

• Building 14 mi. of continuous shareduse paths along eastbound and westbound

Route 7;

•Adding a pedestrian underpass at Colvin Run Mill Park for enhanced park access;

• Lengthening left- and right-turn lanes from Route 7 to many side streets along the corridor and eliminating some median crossings for safety;

• Shifting Route 7 lanes away from Colvin Run Mill and enlarging a culvert under Carpers Farm Way;

• Replacing the existing Lewinsville Road intersection with a displaced left-turn intersection at McLean Bible Church;

• Widening Forestville Drive and Towlston Road to add southbound left- and right-turn lanes;

• Raising the Difficult Run bridges above flood elevation;

IMPROVEMENTS from page 1 see IMPROVEMENTS page 42

• Adding more than 7 mi. of noise walls with architectural treatment; and

• Adding a third left-turn lane from westbound Route 7 to southbound Baron Cameron Avenue, as well as a free-flow ramp from northbound Baron Cameron Avenue to eastbound Route 7. Arif Rahman is VDOT’s Design-Build Project Manager for the Route 7 Corridor Improvements Project.