Dewberry has been selected by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to provide transportation engineering services for the Route 7 corridor improvement project in Fairfax County, Virginia. The firm is teamed with Shirley Contracting Company, LLC on the design-build project.

The project is intended to widen Route 7 from a four-lane divided highway to a six-lane divided highway from Reston Avenue to Jarrett Valley Drive. In addition to the widening to six lanes, improvements to Route 7 will include a new pedestrian tunnel beneath Route 7 at Colvin Run Mill, turn lane improvements, multiple noise barriers, and a replacement of the existing Route 7 bridge over Difficult Run. Pedestrian facilities will be incorporated for the entire length of the project along both sides of Route 7. The firm will complete all of the design elements including roadway geometric design, hydraulic and stormwater management design, structural design, and traffic control design, as well as provide environmental permitting, surveying, and construction quality control (QC) inspection services.

The design-build team will also be responsible for coordinating the Route 7 improvements project with the $200-million Washington Gas transmission line upgrade being performed by the Washington Gas Company. The $252-million project will begin in August 2018 and is anticipated to be completed in August 2024.