The changes coming to nine Manassas crosswalks you might never have noticed

MANASSAS — It’s a summer ritual in Downtown Manassas: replacing the bricks in the crosswalks in some of the city’s busiest intersections.

Heavily-trafficked Route 28 runs right through the heart of downtown, where more than 20,000 cars per day travel the street, according to daily traffic counts from the Virginia Department of Transportation.

This year, city public works crews are out once again digging up the brick, but they’re putting something in its place that hasn’t been there before.

“The bricks are being replaced with stamped asphalt that is more resilient and more able to take traffic,” stated city spokeswoman Patty Prince in an email.

It’ll look like the old brick pattern, but the surface is easier to maintain and more cost-efficient, she adds.

The city is paying about $104,000 for the project to add the new stamped surface and new asphalt surrounding it.

A total of nine intersections are being redone. Some city officials told Potomac Local that when crews are finished, most passersby won’t be able to tell the difference between the old brick and the new stamped surface.

The work is being paid for primarily by VDOT, and should wrap up late next month, said Prince.

There’s even more traffic on roads outside of Downtown Manassas. An average of 32,000 cars travel on Route 28 (Nokesville Road) on the west end of the city, and an average of 27,000 vehicles use Route 28 (Centreville Road) on the city’s east side, according to VDOT traffic counts.