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Leesburg council amends CIP to add South King Street–Route 715 interchange, appropriates $4 million for planning study
Summary
The Leesburg Town Council voted Jan. 28 to add the South King Street/Route 715 Bypass interchange improvements to the town's 2025–2030 Capital Improvements Program and to appropriate $4 million for a planning-level study funded by $2 million from Loudoun County and $2 million from a town line of credit.
The Leesburg Town Council on Jan. 28 voted to amend the town’s 2025–2030 Capital Improvements Program to add interchange improvements at South King Street and the Route 715 bypass and to appropriate $4 million for preliminary planning.
The amendment, moved and seconded during the council meeting, authorizes use of $2 million already provided by Loudoun County and $2 million from the town’s line of credit to fund an Interchange Access Report (IAR) and preliminary engineering work. The council approved the amendment during a public hearing and subsequent motion to amend the CIP.
Doug Wagner, the town’s assistant director of capital projects, told the council the interchange sits south of town where the bypass meets South King Street and that it experiences congestion during morning and evening peaks. He said the town intends to coordinate the interchange work with Loudoun County’s planned Route 7 widening (Route 9 to the Greenway) and later seek grants from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).
Wagner said the $4 million appropriation will fund the planning-level IAR: Loudoun County has provided $2 million and the town will program $2 million from a line of credit now and may swap the funding source later depending on fiscal-year 2026 revenue outcomes. Preliminary planning steps are scheduled for 2026, with construction-level estimates for the full interchange currently shown as about $30 million in town materials and about $15 million as a potential town share depending on grant success. Wagner and council members discussed likely grant sources: NVTA 70% and 30% shares, VDOT Smart Scale and other state or federal grants.
Council members asked about timing and local exposure. Councilmember Cummings asked whether the town must expend line-of-credit funds immediately or could wait until July to use unassigned fund balance; Wagner said the town can program the line of credit and substitute funding later if warranted. Councilmember Wilde asked whether the $30 million figure is a placeholder tied to comparable interchanges; Wagner confirmed it is a planning-level estimate based on similar projects. Councilmember Merkel clarified that Loudoun County’s currently underway project is a lane-widening of the bypass and not an interchange project, meaning Leesburg’s interchange work would be a separate, subsequent project.
Following the public hearing, Councilmember Bass moved to amend the CIP and appropriate $2 million from Loudoun County and $2 million of line-of-credit funds for the project; Councilmember Steinberg seconded. The motion carried and the appropriation was approved.
Next steps identified by staff include completing the IAR in 2026, seeking NVTA and VDOT funding for design and construction, and returning to the council with more detailed cost and funding plans as engineering advances.
Speakers at the public hearing included Wagner (staff) and several council members who questioned timing and funding details. No members of the public spoke on the item during the hearing.
