NORFOLK, Va. — The City of Norfolk is working on a plan to prevent catastrophic flooding and recently received a major boost from the Commonwealth.
The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation awarded $24 million for the Ghent to Harbor Park Flood Barrier System.
The project is part of the Norfolk Coastal Storm Risk Management Plan, an estimated 10-year, $2.3 billion initiative to protect the city from coastal flooding and damage caused by major storm events. The effort is a collaboration between city staffers and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
“This isn’t the day-to-day sort of thing. This is to prevent loss of life and loss of property from what you’ve seen in the Gulf and Hurricane Sandy," said Kyle Spencer, Norfolk's chief resilience officer.
The state grant, awarded December 30, will go towards construction of a barrier system, which is the first phase of the overall project.
To begin, the city wants to build a hybrid, flood barrier system, consisting of a green levee extending from the I-264 Berkley Bridge, beyond Harbor Park.
It would add protections for thousands of people in areas like Tidewater Gardens, Young Terrace and Calvert Square. Some flood walls already exist in Downtown Norfolk, whereas nothing is currently in place for those areas.
"We want to right a lot of the wrongs that have occurred in our historic development patterns, and one of those is focusing on some of the most vulnerable, first," said Spencer.
The starting location of the project highlights the city's emphasis on equity for the project, which state officials said influenced their decision to award Norfolk the most money of recent grant recipients. In December, the state agency awarded more than $51 million as part of the Virginia Community Flood Preparedness Fund, which aims to expand flood prevention and protection projects throughout the state. Norfolk received nearly half of that.
"We view this as a critical project for the City of Norfolk that will protect some of its most vulnerable citizens, along with important economic infrastructure," said DCR Director Matthew Wells. "Given the importance of the project, along with its wide scope and impact, we felt that significant funding was appropriate."
The federal government has already allocated nearly $400 million to the Norfolk-based project, said Spencer. In January 2022, the project secured $249 million as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and disaster relief.
According to the plan, 65% of the $2.3 billion will be covered by the federal government. The city is required to secure 35% of the cost, but the funding doesn't have to come from Norfolk coffers. Ideally, city officials would like to split the cost with other entities, as is the case with this grant, said Spencer.
This is the third round of funding for the VCFP, and the state agency plans to release instructions to apply for the latest round of funding within the first quarter of 2023.
Probably one of the most familiar examples is the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when the levees broke. Since then, city officials in New Orleans, Louisiana, implemented measures to prevent that level of catastrophic flooding from repeating.
“What’s really neat about our project is we get to do that before it happens," said Spencer. “We’re kind of the first in the country on the front end of it versus the back end of it and after the fact.”
The plan is to finish the design by the end of the year, and construction on the barriers will hopefully start by mid-to-late 2024.
Norfolk City Council must still vote on whether to accept the money, which will likely take place in February.
Mayor Kenny Alexander released the following statement Thursday:
“Building coastal flood protection infrastructure for residents, workers, communities, and businesses that support a regional economy is a top priority for the City of Norfolk.
We are grateful that the Commonwealth is taking an important first step in joining us and the US Army Corps of Engineers as we embark on this generational project that will not only protect neighborhoods and jobs, but also critical regional and national infrastructure including hospitals, colleges and universities, The Port of Virginia’s Norfolk International Terminal, Naval Station Norfolk and other defense installations, and vital railroads and highways that help transport billions of dollars in goods every year.
The City of Norfolk thanks the Department of Conservation and Recreation for working with us and understanding the importance of the Norfolk Coastal Storm Risk Management Project.”