Virginia State Route 7

State Route 7
Route information
	Maintained by VDOT
Length:	72 mi (116 km)
Existed:	1933 – present
Major junctions
West end:	US 11 / US 50 / US 522 in Winchester
	I-81 in Winchester; US 340 near Berryville; US 15 in Leesburg; SR 267 in Tysons Corner; I-495 in Tysons Corner; I-66 near Falls Church; US 29 in Falls Church; US 50 at Seven Corners; I-395 in Alexandria; US 1 in Alexandria
East end:	SR 400 in Alexandria
Location
Counties:	City of Winchester, Frederick, Clarke, Loudoun, Fairfax, City of Falls Church, City of Alexandria
Highway system

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For the former State Route 7, see State Route 7 (Virginia 1918-1923).

State Route 7 (SR 7) is a major primary state highway and busy commuter route in Northern Virginia, United States. It travels southeast from downtown Winchester to SR 400 (Washington Street) in downtown Alexandria. Its route largely parallels those of the Washington & Old Dominion Trail (W&OD Trail) and the Potomac River. West of I-395, SR 7 is part of the National Highway System.

[edit] Route description

SR 7 begins downtown in the independent city of Winchester, as East Piccadilly Street at an intersection with US Route 11 (US 11) and US 522, and it continues through the east end of the city, along North East Lane, National Avenue, and finally Berryville Avenue. SR 7 exits the city into surrounding Frederick County, where its name changes to Berryville Pike and it becomes a four-lane highway. SR 7 continues across Interstate 81 I-81) and then into Clarke County.

The Shenandoah River in Clarke Country where it is crossed by SR 7

SR 7 enters Clarke County from Frederick County, crossing the Opequon Creek, and continues towards the town of Berryville. Business SR 7 (SR 7 Bus.) splits off just west of Berryville and passes through the town, while the main route bypasses the town to the north. Both routes cross US 340, and SR 7 Bus. rejoins SR 7 just east of the town. SR 7 crosses the Shenandoah River and its name changes to the Harry Flood Byrd Highway. SR 7 crosses the Loudoun–Clarke county line and the Appalachian Trail at the summit of Snickers Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Snickers Gap, where SR 7 leaves Clarke County and enters Loudon County; the route peaks here after ascending from the Shenandoah Valley

SR 7 enters the rural western part of Loudoun County as the Harry Flood Byrd Highway at Snickers Gap, and then it descends out of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It crosses the Snickersville Turnpike, and then it passes through the village of Bluemont (formerly Snickersville). Next SR 7 curves just south of Jefferson County, West Virginia.

SR 7 becomes a divided, limited-access highway with a speed limit of 55 mph (89 km/h) just west of the town of Round Hill, where another SR 7 Bus. splits off to serve the towns of Round Hill, Purcellville, and Hamilton, while the main road runs outside of the towns as a bypass. SR 7 Bus. rejoins the main road at the interchange with SR 9 in Paeonian Springs.

SR 7 continues towards the well-developed eastern half of Loudoun County as a four-lane divided highway with some at-grade intersections, and it passes through Clarke's Gap in Catoctin Mountain. Another SR 7 Bus. splits off on the western side of the town of Leesburg, the county seat of Loudoun County. The main road continues as the Leesburg Bypass, and merges with the bypass of US 15 around the southern side of Leesburg, while the business route passes through town as Market Street. SR 7 intersects with US 15 Bus. (King Street) by the county courthouse in the center of Leesburg.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has plans to widen the section of SR 7 between SR 9 and East Market Street.^[2] However, due to highway budget restrictions, this project was put on hold in June 2008.^[3]

The SR 7 bypass crosses the Washington & Old Dominion Trail just before the US 15 bypass splits off from SR 7 in eastern Leesburg, and then SR 7 Bus. rejoins the main highway near the same location. SR 7 continues on through the eastern half of Leesburg, and then it crosses Goose Creek. On the other side of Goose Creek SR 7 has been widened to six lanes, and next it passes through Ashburn.

SR 7 has been planned to be rebuilt as a controlled-access highway through eastern Loudoun County. To accomplish this, highway interchanges would be constructed to replace the ordinary intersections at the Loudoun County Parkway and Ashburn Village Boulevard. More overpasses would be constructed at Lexington Drive in Ashburn and at Sycolin Road in Leesburg.

Additional interchanges are planned at Ashburn Village Boulevard in Ashburn,^[4] Belmont Ridge Road in Ashburn, and at Battlefield Parkway in Leesburg.^[2]

SR 7 passes by numerous housing subdivisions and businesses before it reaches an interchange with SR 28, close to the Fairfax County line in Sterling.

SR 7 is named Leesburg Pike all the way across Fairfax County, where it is mainly a suburban route. It enters Fairfax County at the interchange with the Fairfax County Parkway (SR 7100) and Algonkian Parkway. It continues through Fairfax County, passing by subdivisions and strip malls. It passes through Tysons Corner, where it intersects SR 123 and SR 267, the Dulles Access and Toll Roads. It then intersects the Capital Beltway (I-495) in McLean and intersects I-66 a half mile (0.8 km) west of the West Falls Church Metro station.

SR 7 then enters the independent city of Falls Church and becomes Broad Street. The road intersects US 29 in the city's center and crosses the W&OD Trail in the city's west end. SR 7 then re-enters Fairfax County as Leesburg Pike and passes through Seven Corners, named for the five roads that intersect, including US 50, which is grade separated from the rest of the intersection. From there, it travels to Bailey's Crossroads, where it intersects SR 244 (Columbia Pike).

SR 7 enters the City of Alexandria from Fairfax County and briefly forms the border between the Alexandria and Arlington County, and then intersects I- 395. It continues as King Street through Alexandria, passing by T. C. Williams High School, George Washington Masonic National Memorial, Union Station (Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express), and the King Street – Old Town Metro station. SR 7 ends at the intersection of King Street and Washington Street in Old Town Alexandria, one quarter of a mile (0.4 km) west of the Potomac River.

[edit] Major intersections

County	Location	Mile ^[1]	Destinations	Notes
City of Winchester		0.00	US 11 south / US 522 south (Braddock Street) / US 50 (Boscawen Street) – Romney	Western terminus; west end of SR 7 one-way pair; west end of concurrency with westbound US 50
			Boscawen Street east	SR 7 turns north onto Cameron Street; east end of concurrency with westbound US 50; west end of concurrency with US 11 and US 522
			US 11 north (Cameron Street) / US 522 north (Piccadilly Street)	SR 7 turns east onto Piccadilly Street; east end of SR 7 one-way pair; east end of concurrency with US 11 and US 522
			I-81 – Roanoke, Martinsburg	I-81 Exit 315
Frederick	No major junctions
Clarke	Berryville		SR 7 Bus. east (Main Street)
			US 340 (Lord Fairfax Highway) – Berryville, Charles Town	Diamond interchange
			SR 7 Bus. west (Main Street)
Blue Ridge Mountain			Snickers Gap
Loudoun	Round Hill		SR 7 Bus. east (Loudoun Street)
	Round Hill		SR 7 Bus. (Loudoun Street) – Round Hill, Purcellville	Diamond interchange
	Purcellville		SR 287 (Berlin Pike) – Purcellville, Lovettsville	Diamond interchange
	Hamilton		SR 704 (Hamilton Station Road) – Hamilton	Partial cloverleaf interchange
	Clarke's Gap		SR 9 west (Charles Town Pike) / SR 7 Bus. west (Colonial Highway) – Charles Town, Hamilton	Diamond interchange
	Leesburg		SR 7 Bus. east (Market Street) – Leesburg	Trumpet interchange
			US 15 south / US 15 Bus. north (King Street) – Leesburg, Warrenton	Partial cloverleaf interchange; west end of concurrency with US 15
			SR 267 east (Dulles Greenway) – Dulles Airport, Washington	Trumpet interchange
			US 15 north (Leesburg Bypass) / SR 7 Bus. west (Market Street) – Leesburg, Frederick	Partial cloverleaf interchange with flyover for westbound SR 7; east end of concurrency with US 15
			SR 773 (River Creek Parkway) / Crosstrail Boulevard	Diamond interchange
	Ashburn		SR 901 (Claiborne Parkway) / SR 2400 (Lansdowne Boulevard) – Ashburn, Lansdowne	Cloverleaf interchange
	Ashburn		SR 607 (Loudoun County Parkway)	Single-point urban interchange
	Sterling		SR 28 south (Sully Road) – Dulles Airport, Centreville	Directional interchange
			SR 1582 (Algonkian Parkway) / Atlantic Boulevard	Partial cloverleaf interchange
			SR 1794 (Cascades Parkway) – Sterling, Cascades	Cloverleaf interchange
Fairfax	Dranesville		SR 228 south (Dranesville Road) – Herndon
			SR 1582 north (Algonkian Parkway) / SR 7100 south (Fairfax County Parkway)	Diamond interchange
			SR 193 east (Georgetown Pike) – Great Falls, Langley
	Tysons Corner		SR 267 (Dulles Toll Road) / SR 90004 (Dulles Access Road) – Dulles Airport, Washington	SR 267 Exit 16
			SR 123 (Chain Bridge Road)	Partial cloverleaf interchange
			I-495 (Capital Beltway) – Alexandria, Richmond, Rockville, Baltimore	I-495 Exit 47
			I-66 / West Falls Church Metro Station – Front Royal, Washington	I-66 Exit 66
City of Falls Church			US 29 / SR 237 (Washington Street) – Fairfax, Arlington
Fairfax	Seven Corners		US 50 (Arlington Boulevard) / SR 338 west (Hillwood Avenue) / SR 613 (Sleepy Hollow Road/Wilson Boulevard) – Fairfax, Arlington	Diamond interchange with US 50; intersections with other roads
Fairfax	Bailey's Crossroads		SR 244 (Columbia Pike) – Annandale, Arlington	Partial cloverleaf interchange
City of Alexandria			I-395 (Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway) – Richmond, Washington	I-395 Exit 5
			SR 402 (Quaker Lane) / Braddock Road
			SR 420 west (Janneys Lane)
			US 1 south (Henry Street)
			US 1 north (Patrick Street)
			SR 400 (Washington Street) / King Street east	Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi