SUFFOLK, Va. — Suffolk city leaders are pushing back a vote on their comprehensive plan until November 20, because of concerns from residents over congestion in the area.
“I can’t even get out of my house. I can’t even get on the road,” one Suffolk resident said at the meeting when talking about crashes that occur in the region.
It wasn’t just her, though: multiple residents voiced their displeasure with the city’s 2045 comprehensive plan, saying traffic is getting worse, and the new plan doesn’t thoroughly address their concerns.
Watch: Suffolk mayor discusses traffic, public safety
“It was absolute gridlock, nobody moved,” said Suffolk resident, Chess Harris.
Harris told council that out of the entire comprehensive plan, only about 13 pages covered congestion.
“So let’s look at this plan, what does it say? First page, definition of corridors. Second page, a picture of the corridors. Next page, definitions of congestions and service levels,” he said.
On Tuesday, News 3 had a phone call with Suffolk Mayor Mike Duman. He says that before the meeting on November 20, they will be putting together a more detailed master transportation plan as he, and other city leaders, recognized the current plan could be improved.
Watch: Suffolk transit works to keep pace with rapid city growth
“The reality of it is, on 460, whether you like it or not, the Hampton Roads Transportation and Planning Organization says within a decade there’s gonna be twice as much truck traffic there because it’s coming out of the port,” Duman said at the meeting.
However, Duman also says the city are currently working on traffic solutions for the present, not in 2045. A few projects the city has coming down the line are the widening of US-58, the widening of Bridge Road, Route 460 improvements, for which they received $31 million from the Governors office for recently, and the Nansemond Parkway Bridge construction.
Watch: Major bridge projects coming to Suffolk include rebuilding King's Highway Bridge
“The best way to get rid of trains that are blocking crossings is to go over them so you don’t have any crossing there to do,” said Suffolk’s Director of Public Works, Robert Lewis, when talking about Nansemond Parkway,.
Duman agreed to meet with News 3 in the coming weeks to discuss some of these projects further.
If Suffolk residents would like to get involved as well, there will be another public meeting before the vote later in the year.
