Herndon Parkway Reopens After Extended Utility Work By Verizon

HERNDON, VA — Herndon Parkway reopened to traffic around 4 p.m., on Thursday, following extensive utility repairs by Verizon work crews, according to a post on the Herndon Police Department's official Twitter account.

Much of Herndon Parkway remained closed to all but local traffic on Thursday, as Verizon utility crews worked to install and replace telephone poles and cables that had fallen down the night before.

Around 5 p.m., on Wednesday, Herndon Police reported that the parkway was closed at Palmer Drive and officers were diverting traffic due to a crashed vehicle and downed telephone cables. A short time later, Verizon work crews showed up to begin repairs.

At first, it seemed that the car crash had triggered the event, but Lisa Herndon, a public information officer with the Herndon Police Department, explained the it was a bit more complicated than that.

"When vehicle utility crews were removing the vehicle from the wreckage and the entanglement there, some wires lost tension and that's what caused a chain reaction that other poles fell down into the roadway," she said.

The driver of the vehicle involved in the crash suffered only minor injuries and did not need to be taken to the hospital, according to Herndon.

As the evening wore on, police extended the road closure to Maple Street and the 600 block of Herndon Highway, to allow Verizon to continue its work.

In the morning, traffic on the Outer Loop of the parkway was being diverted toward Palmer Drive and barriers prevented anyone from turning onto the parkway from Elden Street.