Virginia State Route 659 (Loudoun and Prince William Counties)

State Route 659
Belmont Ridge Road, Gum Springs Road
Route information
Length	17.37 mi (27.95 km)
Major junctions
North end	Riverside Parkway in Leesburg
Major intersections	SR 7 in Leesburg SR 267 in Ashburn US 50 in Stone Ridge SR 620 near Conklin
South end	SR 234 near Bull Run
Location
Counties	Loudoun, Prince William
Highway system
Virginia Routes Interstate US Primary Secondary Byways History HOT lanes

State Route 659 in Loudoun and Prince William Counties, Virginia is a secondary state highway. Otherwise known as Belmont Ridge Road north of Arcola, and Gum Spring Road to the south, the road is heavily used by commuters in the suburbs and bedroom communities of Loudoun County.

Geography and layout[]

This approximately 16-mile (26 km) long north–south running road is mostly a 2 lane (a few parts are 4 lanes), but heavily traveled, connection between State Route 7 and Prince William County. The road’s actual northern terminus is the Nation Conference Center just off the shores of the Potomac River, but for all practical uses of the road the northern terminus is Route 7. The southern terminus is State Route 234 just past the Loudoun-Prince William County border. There are two Luck Stone quarries along Route 659, one outside the community of Belmont Green just southeast of Leesburg, and another just inside the Loudoun side of the county border near Route 234. The expansion of the southern quarry led to the relocation of a portion of the route in May 2012.

History[]

The origin of the road's path is unclear (possibly the road had been a colonial byway, but no specific evidence is available to back up this assumption), but the road has been used by Loudoun County residents for years. The road had in previous years held a speed limit of 55 mph (89 km/h), but had been decreased to 45 mph (72 km/h) north of Arcola sometime in the last 20 years, and has always been 35 mph (56 km/h) through the town of Arcola. the speed limit remains 55 mph (89 km/h) south of Arcola on Gum Spring Road all the way to Route 234.

Future improvements[]

The road has been scheduled for improvements under the Loudoun County Countywide Transportation Plan.^[1] Between Route 7 in Loudoun and Brambleton, the road will have an ultimate condition of four lanes, other parts in Loudoun may have an ultimate condition of six lanes. As of late 2014, parts of the road through Brambleton and a stretch south of U.S. Route 50 to Ticonderoga Road have been widened to four lanes.

Major intersections[]

County	Location	mi[2]	km	Destinations	Notes
Prince William	Sudley Springs	0.00	0.00	SR 234 (Sudley Road)
Loudoun	​	2.86	4.60	Ticonderoga Road (SR 613)
	​	4.58	7.37	Braddock Road (SR 620)
	Stone Ridge	6.60	10.62	US 50 (John S. Mosby Highway)
		Gap in route
		6.60	10.62	US 50 (John S. Mosby Highway)
	​	7.66	12.33	Evergreen Mills Road (SR 621)
	Gap in route
	​	7.66	12.33	Evergreen Mills Road (SR 621)
	​	10.00	16.09	Ryan Road (SR 772)
	Waxpool	11.69	18.81	Waxpool Road ()
	Ashburn	13.40	21.57	SR 267 Toll (Dulles Greenway) – Leesburg, Washington, D.C.
		13.84	22.27	Sycolin Road, Ashburn Farm Road (SR 625)
	​	14.31	23.03	Hearford Lane (SR 642)
	Lansdowne	16.49	26.54	SR 7 (Harry Byrd Highway) – Leesburg, Tysons Corner
		17.37	27.95	Upper Belmont Place	End of state maintenance
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References[]