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Road improvements planned for Fort Norfolk area

Posted at 9:31 PM, Oct 10, 2012
and last updated 2012-10-10 21:31:14-04

It seems like just about everywhere you turn in Norfolk, there's construction going on, and in a few months, there'll be some more.

Work will start in January at the intersection of Brambleton Avenue and Colley Avenue.  It’s to improve access to Fort Norfolk and reduce flooding problems in the area.

Flooding along Brambleton Avenue is something people in Norfolk are all too familiar with.  The area near the Brambleton Bridge is one of the problem spots.

“Right as you come over the bridge, there’s  a very low spot in there,” said Chris Chambers with Norfolk Public Works.

It became a major issue during a Nor'easter a few years ago.  Chambers said the flooding was so bad that people couldn't get to the hospital.

“My wife’s a nurse [there] and she couldn’t get staff in,” said Chambers.

To ease the flooding , the city will be raising Brambleton by about two and a half feet on one side, as you go from the bridge to Colley Avenue.

They're also trying to make it a little easier for people to get into the Fort Norfolk area.

“On the peak times, when the Corps of Engineers comes in, the traffic backs up past the cue on Brambleton,” said Chambers.

A second left turn lane will be added on both westbound Brambleton and northbound Colley.

Also, there’s currently only one entrance to Fort Norfolk, so they'll be expanding Second Street into a full intersection.

For most of the construction, traffic will go from three lanes to two in each direction, and occasionally down to one.

The work is expected to wrap up in the spring of 2014.

If you have any questions, or want to learn more about the project, there will be two public meetings.

Both will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 24th at the Red Cross at 611 W. Brambleton Avenue.  The times are from 3:30 – 5 p.m. and from 6 – 7:30 p.m.