Pedestrians on Maple Avenue will lose sidewalk access in front of the Vienna-Carter Library construction site starting Saturday, Nov. 7.
The Town of Vienna announced on Instagram that the temporary sidewalk near Center Street will close for safety reasons as construction shifts from the parking garage to the library portion of the project. The closure is expected to last through the end of the year.
The town did not specify a detour route for pedestrians in its announcement.
The project at 101 Maple Avenue East is replacing the former Patrick Henry Library, built in 1971, with a 19,000-square-foot, one-story library and a four-level, 209-space parking garage. According to Fairfax County's project page, the building foundations are complete and a portion of the garage is erected. Library construction was scheduled for fall and winter 2026. The full project is scheduled for completion in early 2028.
As we reported Nov. 5, the project has been moving forward on schedule since Costello Construction of Maryland began work in December 2025.
The site sits at the corner of Maple Avenue and Center Street, with a bus stop along the Maple Avenue frontage and Vienna Elementary School to the southeast. The finished library will have a wider sidewalk of more than 9 feet along Maple Avenue, according to FFXnow's October 2024 coverage of the project's final approval.
The wider path is part of the plan. Kelly O'Brien, Vienna's deputy director of planning and zoning, told FFXnow that the new layout would provide more plantings and make the Maple Avenue frontage safer.
Fairfax County voters approved $23 million for the library through a 2020 bond referendum. The Town of Vienna is contributing additional funds for its share of the project under a joint development agreement with the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Of the garage's 209 parking spaces, 84 will serve as public and commuter parking for the town.
The Vienna Town Council voted unanimously on Oct. 28, 2024, to approve the county's site plans, according to FFXnow. That vote was the last major approval needed from the council.
Councilmember Roy Baldwin said at the October 2024 meeting, "I believe what we're getting in return is of more importance to us as a town," according to FFXnow's coverage.
