VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — After years of talks on widening Virginia Beach's side of Elbow Road construction will finally begin on the 1.5 mile project this month.
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"It's pretty quiet you very seldom see cars passing through here," Nemesio Chavez, who lives in the Hillcrest Farms neighborhood, said.
Chavez has lived at his home since the 90s and says traffic never really comes into his neighborhood but that will soon change.
The entrance to his neighborhood will become part of the long-awaited expansion of Elbow Road.
"It's a huge relief for us to get across the goal line here," David Jarman, Transportation Division Manager, with Virginia Beach Public Works, said.
The idea for the widening has been around since 1985 and appeared in the city's capital improvement program (CIP).
It was later accepted as a VDOT project and the city assumed the responsibilities of the project in 2003.
"We're widening the two lanes to four lanes and we're going to provide an 8-foot multi-use path on both sides," Jarman said. "It will be curb and gutter, we'll have LED street lights, and we'll have some landscaping."
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The total cost of the project is over $101 million with $63 million being provided through federal and state funding.
The widening will stretch from the L shape at Elbow Road near Stumpy Lake and goes to Salem Road.
The project will be done in three phases and is set to be completed in September of 2028
Part of the construction will include creating a bypass road to construct a new bridge closer to the Salem side that will be better aligned and go over the North Landing River.
Last month the city held a 'pardon our dust' meeting to inform residents who live near Elbow Road what the project will entail.
With increased traffic over the years, some residents say they have been ready for this.
"The main problem in here is the traffic light over here at Indian River and Elbow, they have to change that. Around 3:30 p.m. or 4 p.m. it's backed up already because people are leaving work," Chavez said.
Other neighbors News 3 spoke with said they have concerns about how close the widening is to their backyards and neighborhood amenities like a park.
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Chavez's home will be one that is backed up where the road is being widened off of Savannah Way.
He said as long as some type of noise barrier is put in place like what was explained as part of the project early on he's fine with the development.
"I'm for this project, it's an improvement to this area and stuff," Chavez said. "When I first got here there were only strawberry farms in here but now they are all houses."
As for the Chesapeake side of Elbow Road, the city said the Elbow Road Replacement Bridge Plans have been finalized and a contractor will be hired in the next few months.
The city also said the Elbow Road Widening Project Phase 2 is currently at 90% plan development.
The schedule is driven by environmental permitting which affects design, right-of-way acquisition, and utility relocations.
Chesapeake anticipates procurement of construction contractors for this project to begin by the end of next year.
