Town of Herndon seeks $1.5 million for major Sterling Road improvements

Town of Herndon officials are seeking $1.5 million in federal funds for major improvements along Sterling Road.

At a Herndon Town Council work session on Dec. 5, town staff noted that no local match is required to proceed with the project. The town is also requesting $500,000 for ADA-compliant sidewalk and trails improvements throughout Herndon.

Jaleh Moslehi, a project engineer for the Town of Herndon, said the Sterling Road project will include additional lane capacity improvements at the Herndon Parkway intersection, along with safety measures for pedestrians and bicyclists.

“The objectives for this project are to increase safety, to incorporate cycling and pedestrian improvements, reduce congestion, enhance connectivity and circulation, and also doing all of this, but retaining the residential character of the Sterling Road corridor,” she said.

Once completed, the project would reconfigure Sterling Road from Elden Street to Herndon Parkway in order to “reflect the town’s current plans for traffic management and circulation in residential areas,” according to the town’s budgetary documents.

The project will begin with a concept design and traffic impact analysis, determining whether there is a need for a signalized intersection at Crestview Drive. The study will also determine the feasibilty of a bicycle facility between Elden Street and the town limits.

In the second project, town-wide sidewalk and trail improvements are planned based on Herndon’s Pedestrian Plan and Bicycle Network Master Plan.

Funds for the Sterling Road project would come from a federal Regional Surface Transportation Planning program, while funding for the other improvements is through the Congestion Mitigation Air Quality program. Both projects are administered by Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA).

Councilmember Cesar del Aguila noted that he and others in the community were happy to hear that the Sterling Road project is moving forward.

Anne Curtis, a spokesperson for the Town of Herndon, said the Sterling Road project is on pause, initially as a result of “COVID delays but also due to need for additional funding.”