Mill Street Pedestrian Improvements Project Finalized

The Mill Street Pedestrian Improvements, near the Occoquan Town Hall, are complete and ready to make walking around town a little easier.

“The improvements … are pretty dramatic,” Occoquan Mayor Earnest W. Porta Jr. said at a recent ribbon cutting ceremony. “This has a lot of advantages for us both in terms of the way it directs traffic as well as the safety for pedestrians.”

Prince William County, the town and the Virginia Department of Transportation, or VDOT, collaborated on the project along Mill Street between Washington and Ellicott streets. Updates to the area will improve pedestrian safety, accessibility and connectivity. The project included five crosswalks and nine ramps with detectable warning domes that comply with the American with Disabilities Act.

“The project will significantly improve pedestrian safety and accessibility and reflects the town and the county’s commitment to equity in transportation,” said Prince William Board of County Supervisors Occoquan District Supervisor Kenny Boddye. “Additionally, the project supports the town and the county’s shared goals of providing walkable destinations for residents and visitors to enjoy local establishments, recreational opportunities and the abundant natural resources and history of the town of Occoquan.”  

The $310,000 project officially began in 2018 when the county and town submitted the grant application at the request of the community. Funding for the project came from a Transportation Alternatives Program, or TAP, grant.

“Although this project is relatively small in terms of transportation projects, the collaborative effort that led to this project and the impact to the community are large and worth celebrating,” Boddye said. 

“This is all stuff that we could not do without the support and funding from the county and from VDOT. It’s extremely important for us to have those types of partnerships,” Porta said.

According to Boddye, the county, town and VDOT are considering cooperation on other improvement projects throughout the town.

Acting Prince William County Executive Elijah Johnson, left, Virginia Department of Transportation District Program Manager Terry Yates, Prince William Board of County Supervisors Occoquan District Supervisor Kenny Boddye, Occoquan Mayor Earnest W. Porta Jr. and Occoquan Town Council members Cindy Fithian, Eliot Perkins and Bob Love cut a ribbon for the Mill Street Pedestrian Improvements project in Occoquan.