New Plan to Reduce Route 7 Traffic Congestion in Northern Virginia

Route 7 is a 73-mile stretch of roadway from Winchester to Alexandria, running through numerous highly-populated Northern Virginia’s cities. With so many attractions along the highway, traffic congestion is among the worst in the state. The section of Route 7 between Tysons Corner and Alexandria has some of the worst traffic problems. The main cause of the bottlenecking is the reduction in lanes from four in Tysons Corner to one in Alexandria. A study has now been ordered to develop plans for solving the traffic congestion on the highway.

Another problem in addition to automobile traffic is the lack of accessible public transportation on Route 7. Bus service is scarce and many places lack bus shelters and sidewalks for pedestrians. Two options are being considered to solve this problem: a bus rapid-transit line and a light rail. If either one of these options gets approved, another lane of traffic for cars would be taken away in order to build the line. At a minimum, bus routes must be expanded with more frequent bus stops and shelters at stops with technology capable of showing when the next bus would arrive. Currently, there is about a thirty minute wait time between buses and they are often running very late past their scheduled time due to traffic on Route 7.

The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission wants residents to know that improvements to the highway and public transit system are planned for the next few years. A 2013 survey showed that only 37% of people in the area use public transportation, but that is mainly because of the system’s unreliability. If the transit system improved, many residents have said that would give it another try.

With so many traffic problems along the entire stretch of Route 7 in Northern Virginia, unfortunately, accidents are a common occurrence. Not only would an improved transit system and better traffic patterns help alleviate traffic congestion, but several car accidents could also be avoided as well.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a car, truck, or bus accident or has died as a result of their injury suffered in a Virginia crash, please call us at (410) 995-1515 to schedule an appointment for a free case evaluation in our Tysons Corner office or one of our other offices located throughout Northern Virginia, or visit us online to learn more about car accidents.