VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — It’s hard to miss a large red crane just off Interstate 264 in Virginia Beach. It’s part of the effort to stop high water from flooding in the Windsor Woods neighborhood, a low-lying area susceptible to tidal flooding.
The solution: a tide gate.
“It basically goes up and down. It blocks the tide from coming in,” Windsor Woods Tide Gate Project Manager and City Civil Engineer Elizabeth Arnold told 13News Now.
Arnold said project designs started back in 2018 and the construction began roughly a year ago. A total of four tide gates will be built at Lake Windsor, two of which are already completed.
“Then you might ask, 'What about the rainfall?'" Arnold said. "Well, we have pumps that will pump the rainfall around the tide gate.”
Officials are also working on improvements to Thalia Creek and Lake Trashmore. It’s part of the city’s flood protection program where city staff have several other projects brewing.
“This area is interesting in that it can drain several different ways," she said. "So, we just started the mega-bundle which is seven projects.”
Arnold said projects in the Princess Anne Plaza and The Lakes neighborhoods are very similar to the one at Windsor Woods. She calls this an exciting time as they work to improve the area.
“I know that residents now understand that their area floods but I bet in 10 years, they will completely forget,” she said.
Arnold said the tide gate project cost around $14 million. It's expected to be fully operational by spring 2025.