UPDATE — Aug. 28, 2026
The City of Manassas will hold a design public hearing on the proposed Mathis Avenue improvements after receiving four written requests before the Aug. 26 deadline.
The date, time and location have not yet been announced. City officials say they expect to determine those details in September.
The hearing will allow residents, businesses and other interested parties to review and comment on the current design before the plans are finalized.
The project would reconstruct approximately 0.57 miles of Mathis Avenue between Sudley Road and Liberia Avenue. Current plans call for two travel lanes separated by a landscaped median, dedicated turn lanes, wider sidewalks, drainage improvements, new street lighting and landscaping.
The City’s capital program lists the Mathis Avenue project, known as T-086, at approximately $10.9 million. The project remains in the design phase.
The Manassas Journal has asked the City for additional information about what portions of the design can still change, how the proposed median would affect access to businesses and driveways, whether additional right-of-way or easements are required, the current project cost, when updated design drawings will be released, and whether the hearing will affect the anticipated construction schedule.
The original story continues below.
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Published Aug 25, 2026
A long-planned redesign of Mathis Avenue between Sudley Road and Liberia Avenue is moving forward, with the City proposing a landscaped median, wider sidewalks, new lighting and other improvements along the roughly half-mile commercial corridor.
2-Minute Brief
What’s happening
The City of Manassas posted a Notice of Willingness to Hold a Public Hearing for the Mathis Avenue Improvements project on Aug. 6.
A public hearing is not currently scheduled.
Residents with design concerns have until today, Wednesday, Aug. 26, to submit a written request for a hearing. If a hearing is requested and those concerns cannot otherwise be resolved, the City says a hearing will be scheduled.
Why it matters
Mathis Avenue connects Sudley Road and Liberia Avenue through one of the City’s busiest commercial corridors.
The project would substantially change how the street looks and functions, affecting motorists, pedestrians and businesses along the approximately 0.57-mile corridor.
What would change?
The City’s current public notice describes plans to:
- replace the existing two-way center left-turn lane with a landscaped median
- provide dedicated turn lanes where included in the design
- widen sidewalks
- improve drainage
- install new street lighting
- add landscaping
The project is being designed under City of Manassas and Virginia Department of Transportation standards and is supported by a combination of local, state and federal funding.
The goal described in earlier City planning documents is to improve pedestrian safety and connectivity while giving the Mathis Avenue corridor a more defined streetscape.
What does it cost?
The City’s detailed capital plan previously estimated the total Mathis Avenue project at approximately $10.94 million.
That estimate included about:
- $430,000 for planning
- $1.59 million for land and right-of-way needs
- $8.92 million for construction
The funding plan included state transportation money, federal funds, Northern Virginia Transportation Authority funds and City utility funds associated with work being completed as part of the project.
Because the current August 2026 public notice does not provide an updated total project cost, the Manassas Journal is treating the $10.94 million figure as the City’s previous published estimate, not a confirmed final construction cost.
A project years in the making
The Mathis Avenue project dates back to at least 2019.
Early plans estimated the project at about $5.57 million. As the design developed and additional land, utility and construction costs were included, later City capital plans increased the estimate to roughly $10.9 million.
The City’s capital plan describes the project as reconstructing Mathis Avenue as a two-lane roadway with a landscaped median, dedicated turn lanes and pedestrian improvements.
The most recent detailed capital schedule reviewed by the Manassas Journal listed an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2027.
The current public notice confirms the project remains in the design process.
What Mathis Avenue looks like today
Manassas Journal photos taken Aug. 25 show the existing corridor at its two major endpoints — Mathis Avenue at Sudley Road and Mathis Avenue at Liberia Avenue.
The roadway remains open in its existing configuration.
The proposed project would change the center portion of much of Mathis Avenue from the current shared turning area to a landscaped median, while also changing sidewalks, lighting and other streetscape features.
How can residents request a hearing?
The City’s notice says a written request for a design public hearing must be submitted on or before Aug. 26 to:
John Keenan
City of Manassas
9027 Center Street
Manassas, VA 20110
If a hearing is requested, the City says the date, time and location will be announced separately.
What happens next?
The project is still in the design process.
Important details to continue following include the final construction cost, final design, construction schedule, how access to businesses will work once the landscaped median is installed and whether any residents or businesses request a formal public hearing.
For now, the immediate deadline is clear:
Residents who want to request a design public hearing have until Aug. 26 to do so.
