Construction to add another two lanes to seven miles of Route 7 could start by 2018.
Virginia Department of Transportation held a public information session on June 24 at Forestville Elementary to allow residents to voice concerns and make suggestions about the potential widening of the oft-traffic congested area.
“We’re still at the conceptual level, so we want to see what will work best for traffic flow on Route 7.”
-- Lee Ann Hall, VDOT Assistant Location and Design Engineer
The construction would affect the area between Reston Avenue and Jarrett Valley Drive.
“We’re still at the conceptual level, so we want to see what will work best for traffic flow on Route 7,” said VDOT Assistant Location and Design Engineer Lee Ann Hall.
According to JMT-Design consultant Phitsuru Tanaka, 2,117 cars travel towards Tysons during morning rush hour in the area being studied. During evening rush hour, 2,000 cars travel westbound and 1,300 travel eastbound.
He said the data is from November 2012.
“In the worst case, it took 30 minutes to go through this area,” he said.
When the Tysons area metro stations open, those numbers may worsen.
A more formal public hearing for the project is planned for next spring, where a design would be approved.
“We’re still waiting for our funding to come into play,” Hall said. “We know money is coming. It’s just not on the project yet.”
She said residents from Harpers Farm Way were vocal that they were not going to be provided with a full-movement stop at their intersection.
Other intersections, such as at Atwood Road, Middleton Ridge and Fauquier Drive, would involve residents taking a left out of their neighborhood and taking a U-turn at the next signal in order to go westbound.
Colvin Run Mill manager Mike Henry came to the information session to make sure the cultural and natural resources of the area are preserved.
“We’re here to make sure the mitigations considered for the past, present and future of this wonderful community protect our resources,” he said. “Obviously, this is a need that has to be addressed. So far, I believe they are being considerate.”
Another resident, Brad Hargroves, said he did not want to see the westbound traffic the project will bring.
“They’ve been planning this for 40 to 50 years now, and they still don’t have funding,” he said. “They shouldn’t widen Route 7 to get Loudoun County to D.C. The toll road is underused.”