LEESBURG, Va. — A construction project to add a new overpass along Route 7 got underway Tuesday with a ceremonial groundbreaking.

When it’s completed in three years, the overpass is supposed to speed up commutes and cut down crashes. Construction work is already underway at the intersection of Belmont Ridge Road and Route 7 near Belmont and Lansdowne. So far, though, it’s only been utility work to prepare the site for a new interchange that eliminates the traffic light, which slows drivers down.

“It’s a project that’s badly needed,” said Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring. “It’s one of the most dangerous intersections in the county. People have to cycle through three, sometimes four times to get through, delaying their trips to soccer, to get home to their kids and family.”

As of Sept. 30, there have been 47 reported crashes at the intersection, according to data obtained by WTOP. That’s the fourth-highest total of any intersection in the county, the data show.

The interchange project is being led by Loudoun County with the support of local, state and federal funding. A second project to widen an additional stretch of Belmont Ridge Road is under the authority of the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Combined, the more than $100 million in construction will widen Belmont Ridge Road from two lanes to four, from Route 7 south to Hay Road, which is just north of the Dulles Toll Road.

The VDOT project is scheduled to begin construction in the spring and be completed in about two-and-a-half years. It includes a bridge over the Washington & Old Dominion Trail and shared use paths on each side of Belmont Ridge Road.