Loudoun County Celebrates Completion of Route 7/607 Interchange

A ceremonial ribbon-cutting marked the official opening of the Route 7/Route 607 (Loudoun County Parkway) interchange today. Members of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors and other dignitaries celebrated the completion of the first Loudoun County-funded interchange. 
 
The new interchange includes four new ramps, a bridge over Route 7, an additional one-quarter of a mile section of Loudoun County Parkway, and numerous gas, water and communication utility relocations. The improvements eliminated the need for two light signals on Route 7 at the intersections of Loudoun County Parkway / Presidential and George Washington Boulevard / Richfield Way. 
 
According to a Loudoun County Government press release, Board of Supervisors Chairman Scott York applauded those who worked on the project and praised Loudoun County taxpayers for approving the sale of general obligation bonds in 2006 to finance the project.

"I want to thank the taxpayers of Loudoun County for supporting this interchange and paying for this interchange. Without their support, without their willingness to do that, this project would not have come to fruition today," York said. 
 
Broad Run District Supervisor Lori Waters called the interchange "a monumental achievement," adding that it was first time that voters said they wanted to spend their local dollars to help solve transportation issues. 
 
Lewis Rauch, Director of the Department of Construction and Waste Management, pointed out that the Countywide Transportation Plan calls for Route 7 to be a limited-access highway between Leesburg and Algonkian Parkway. The Route 607 (Loudoun County Parkway) interchange is a step towards that goal. 
 
Construction on the Route 7/607 interchange, which began in January 2009, was completed ahead of schedule by Shirley Contracting Company, which was awarded the $23.3 million contract for the project in November 2008. 
 
A proffer design of the interchange was provided by Collin Equities. The Loudoun County Department of Construction and Waste Management managed the completion of the design and construction, which included utility coordination, design and easements with the ongoing design support from Dewberry and Davis.