The project will widen East Elden Street from four to six lanes between Herndon Parkway and Fairfax County Parkway in the town of Herndon. The purpose of the project is to reduce traffic congestion, improve safety and enhance access to and from Fairfax County Parkway. Photo provided by Virginia Dept. of Transportation
The Herndon Town Council held its final public hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 10, for the proposed $43.4 million project to widen East Elden Street from four to six lanes between Herndon Parkway and Fairfax County Parkway.
“The overall intent of the project is to provide improved pedestrian safety, bicycle lanes and … cycling improvements and safety,” Lisa Gilleran, Herndon’s director of community development, said during the hearing.
The project would add bike lanes from Monroe Street to Van Buren Street.
Another major improvement of the project would remove the culverts that carry the Sugarland Run Stream under East Elden Street and replace them with a bridge that carries traffic over the stream.
“Whenever we have very heavy rain storms, we’ve actually had to close the road there due to flooding, so that would be a major safety improvement,” Gilleran said.
Other improvements include landscaping and planted medians, and undergrounding utilities along the corridor.
Mayor Lisa Merkel closed the public hearing after there were no comments from the public. She said the town staff and councilmembers would work with VDOT to move the project forward.
The final design is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2021.