After an extra one-day delay due to Sunday’s snowfall, the Town of Vienna will begin construction today (Tuesday) on a stormwater project that’s more than a decade in the making.
To address ongoing flooding challenges, the town is replacing an underground culvert along Nutley Street near Marshall Road SW, a process expected to unfold in five phases over nearly a year.
The first phase will involve temporarily removing the street’s center median, requiring one northbound lane on Nutley Street SW to close. The town anticipates that work will continue until March, with additional phases to follow.
“Work will generally occur on weekdays from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. but lane closures will be in place for the duration of the project, including before and after work hours,” the town said in a press release. “Drivers are encouraged to consider alternate routes.”
Installed in 1962, the existing culvert is “undersized” and now insufficient to manage current levels of stormwater runoff, which have surged over the past half-century as Vienna became more developed, according to the town.
Vienna leaders began exploring a replacement project after the town council hired a consultant to conduct a drainage study in June 2012. A design contract was awarded in November 2013, and plans were nearing completion by March 2016, when the council approved a funding increase for an additional engineering analysis.
At the time, town staff said they anticipated starting construction that summer, but the project was soon put on hold after estimated construction costs from bidding contractors exceeded the available funding.
Vienna was able to revive the project in 2024 thanks to the over $17 million in COVID-19 recovery funds it received from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) in 2021 and 2022. The town used the money to pay for a range of needs, including police body cameras, cybersecurity upgrades and other capital projects.
The design for the new culvert was completed in October 2024, and the town council awarded a $1.6-million construction contract to FLB Contractors.
Consisting of two 10-foot by 6-foot culverts, the new facility is currently projected to be completed by January 2027.
“This project will upgrade our stormwater infrastructure and reduce the Town’s long-term flood risk in Southwest Vienna by appropriately channeling the increased runoff associated with past and future development,” Vienna Deputy Public Works Director Alan Chen said.
