Town of Vienna Seeking Input Next Week on Proposed Transportation Fixes

New proposals to address transportation issues in the Town of Vienna will be unveiled and up for community discussion at a meeting next week.

The town commissioned the Maple Avenue Corridor Multimodal Transportation & Land Use Study to look at transportation needs and impacts from development. Kimley-Horn, a consulting firm that focuses on transportation, planning and engineering, started the study in the spring.

The study area spanned Maple Avenue from James Madison Drive to Follin Lane and also along Church Street from Lawyers Road to East Street, as well as Courthouse Road and Locust Street.

The $80,000 study was funded through capital improvement bond funds, according to a press release.

The study was broken into three phases:

• looking at the strengths and weaknesses of the current transportation conditions
• estimating the impact of future development
• brainstorming and evaluating possible strategies

Project Manager David Samba said in a press release that Maple Avenue’s dual functionality as a local street and a regional road in one of the challenges noted in the study.

“When you look at Maple Avenue, the first thing people tell you is that there’s too much traffic,” Samba said. “So some of our recommendations are geared toward finding ways to alleviate traffic congestion and bottlenecks.”

Kimley-Horn will present recommendations from the study at a meeting next Wednesday (Sept. 4).

“Transportation recommendations could include changes to vehicular access, geometric and operational modifications to specific intersections or locations, transit service improvements, enhancements to bicycle and pedestrian networks, and transportation demand management policies and strategies,” according to the Town of Vienna.

Ultimately, the town is looking to implement near- and mid-term solutions for transportation woes — like safety and accessibility — along the corridor.

“The firm received more than 150 responses to a community survey and obtained feedback and insights at two previously held community meetings,” according to the press release.

The community meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall Council Chambers (127 S. Center Street).