Virginia State Route 7 is a road stretching west to east connecting Winchester to Alexandria. As the road makes it way through different counties, the road widens, splits off into bypass and business routes, and even changes name. At its western end close to Winchester, there a wide distance between the road and the Potomac River. But for most of its length, Route 7 runs parallel with and relatively close to the Potomac River and the Washington and Old Dominion Trail.
The road starts off with 4 lanes near Route 522 and U.S Route 11 in Winchester. In Frederick County, Route 7 is referred to as the Berryville Pike. As the road heads east into neighboring Clarke County, the Berryville Pike turns into the Harry Byrd Highway, and in some parts split into a business and bypass route.
In Clarke County, the road was named after a prominent leader in Virginia politics, Harry Flood Byrd, Sr. Harry Byrd was elected the 50th Governor of Virginia and served Virginia in the US Senate from 1933 to 1965. In 1965, Byrd retired from the Senate and his son, Harry Byrd, Jr. was appointed as his successor.
In Berryville, the area is largely undeveloped and the road is dotted with large farms such as Audley Farm, a 2300 acre cattle operation with registered Aberdeen Angus and thriving thoroughbred horse farm.
As the Harry Byrd Highway leaves Clarke County and enters Loudoun County near the town of Bluemont, there’s a steep incline over the Blue Ridge Mountains. This stretch of road can be quite slippery in the winter, and it’s important to watch your speed. As the road reaches Leesburg, it splits off again into business and bypass routes, becoming a 6 lane road dotted with large subdivisions, commercial buildings, shopping malls, car dealerships, and strip malls.
The Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets are a big shopping destination in the area, and cutting edge lifestyle communities of Lansdowne on the Potomac in Leesburg and Belmont Country Club in Ashburn are just off the road. The Belmont Country Club community in Ashburn plays host to the Loudoun Summer MusicFest and the musical performances can be seen while driving by.
The Harry Bryd Highway enters Fairfax County near the Fairfax County Parkway and Algonkian Parkway and becomes the Leesburg Pike. This area is close to the Great Falls community of Holly Knoll which is across from the Dranesville Tavern Park. After passing the Georgetown Pike, the Great Falls communities of Autumn Wood and Georgetown Court can be seen from the road.
Heading east toward the Reston Parkway, Reston’s Estates of Wyndham Hills and Falls Park Estates are on the eastbound side and Great Falls Glen, the Overlook at Great Falls Hunt, and Lockmeade sit on the westbound side in Great Falls.
Just after passing Baron Cameron Avenue, there are several Vienna neighborhoods close to the road including Colvin’s Glen and Carpers Farm. At Towlston Road, there are the popular Vienna communities of Towlston Meadows and Shouse Village. Shouse Village takes its name from the founder of Wolftrap which is tucked away on Towlston Road. As the road approaches the McLean Bible Church, there are several communities that sit off Route 7, including Carrington, Lucky Estates, and Royal Estates.
The Tysons Corner area can be very congested during rush hour. Drivers have to get past the Beltway and Interstate 66 traffic and shoppers coming and going to the Tysons mall. Over the next 3 years, the construction work for the Dulles Metrorail and HOT Lane mega projects are going to have a major impact on the flow of traffic on the Leesburg Pike. Tysons Corner is open for business with all of the construction activity, but the walls of concrete barriers will have an impact on the traffic flow on the Leesburg Pike traffic for sometime.
As the Leesburg Pike leaves Fairfax County and enters the small City of Falls Church, the road becomes Broad Street which intersects Route 29. The road passes the newly constructed high-rise communities of The Broadway, Byron, and Spectrum at Falls Church. Falls Church is a small but emerging city close to Washington, DC.
After leaving Falls Church, the road is back to being called Route 7 and resumes its path to its final endpoint in Old Town Alexandria at the intersection of King Street and Washington Street.
The video below gives you a sense of the construction activity in Tysons Corner.
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