PORTSMOUTH, Va. - The city is getting $19.3 million in funding from the federal infrastructure bill to improve High Street.
On Tuesday morning, local, state, and federal leaders celebrated the funding.
The money will help pay to add in landscaped medians and wider sidewalks on High Street from Effingham Street to the MLK Expressway.
The city had to apply for the funding. City leaders call it a win for the city.
"I started working in Portsmouth in 2018 and I noticed as soon as you crossed Effingham on High Street, it felt like the magic ended. You were leaving the urban vibrancy that is downtown Portsmouth and we're trying to extend that farther - all the way to the MLK Expressway," said Carl Jackson, the manger of transportation planning for the city.
City leaders are hoping improvements will bring development to the area.
