Like Tysons, Reston Could Get Fancy Underground Interchange at Rt.7 (Sort Of)

Apparently unsatisfied with connecting Tysons Corner's gridlocked surface streets with an underground rotary of doom that is somehow reminiscent of Paris, VDOT is now proposing a partial interchange where Rt. 7 meets Baron Cameron Avenue as part of efforts to broaden the highway to six lanes from Tysons to Reston Avenue. Give us some good blockquote, VDOT:

The Virginia Department of Transportation is holding a design public hearing Tuesday, Nov. 15 on plans to improve and widen Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) from four to six lanes between Reston Avenue and Jarrett Valley Drive to increase capacity, decrease congestion, and improve safety.

The project includes intersection improvements, as well as a 10-foot shared-use path on both sides of the road to enhance mobility for cyclists and pedestrians.

Additional improvements include:

• Constructing a partial interchange at Baron Cameron Avenue to reduce congestion

• Relocating Lewinsville Road and creating a displaced left-turn intersection

• Replacing and raising the Difficult Run bridge to reduce flooding

Along with allowing Loudoun County "graduates" to reach Mach 2 on their evening journeys home to their particleboard Valhalla, the "partial interchange" looks pretty rad, and is somewhat reminiscent of how Connecticut Avenue goes under DuPont Circle in DC. That will give our future, transit-oriented selves a soupçon of that much-desired urban feel as we try to avoid the gridlock near the Wiehle Metro station and double-digit tolls on the DTR. Except, of course, that there are markedly fewer gas stations, farmers markets, McMansions, auto-detailing establishments, and zoos right around that demonstrably lesser intersection in DC. So it's a win-win!

For more information on the public hearing, click here.