NORFOLK, Va. — It’s a long-awaited sight returning to the intersection at Brambleton Avenue and Church Street.
“I kept watching to see how long it would take for them to put it back up there, and it did take a minute," Norfolk resident Stephanie Morgan told 13News Now while walking her dog along Brambleton Avenue.
A Norfolk landmark -- the Martin Luther King Jr. monument -- is coming home after a months-long absence.
In October 2020, the city removed the monument after engineers noticed structural damage inside, as well as fallen pieces of granite from the outside. The memorial was erected in 2000 and was championed by former Norfolk Councilman and General District Court Judge, Joseph A. Jordan, Jr.
“When they got in, there was more damage than anticipated," Alana Smith with the Department of Public Works told 13News Now Tuesday.
Since then, they've been restoring the monument at a price tag of $836,000.
“Making it so that it’s not a menace," Smith laughed.
Where construction is now, and for how much longer
Drivers will see a tall, metal framework erected at the spot that once stood empty for months.
According to Smith, the monument's steel framing work is completed, and construction crews are currently installing the interior and exterior lighting at the site. Interior lighting to be able to work inside the structure, and exterior lighting so pedestrians and drivers can see it illuminated at nighttime.
After crews restore the monument’s lighting will come the granite plates that are expected to be completed in early August.
The monument's damaged plates are getting replaced, while undamaged ones will be re-used Smith says. There are no changes or updates to the original design of the monument, except for an “upgraded” water pump that the city called out of date.
The extent of the monument’s damage pushed back the completion of the construction’s timeline. Travelers should expect traffic construction and road closures for the duration of the Memorial's construction.