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Virginia Beach construction is set to begin for flood mitigation

Public works crews will close New Bridge Road for construction purposes starting on Sunday, February 9.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A $12 million project is set to begin for flood mitigation in the Ashville Park neighborhood of Virginia Beach.

Public Works officials said they will raise New Bridge Road and place pipes underneath it so that water can more easily flow out to Ashville Bridge Creek and leave the Ashville Park neighborhood.

Officials said the road would be closed through March 9 and that it’s timed this way so all improvements can be made before the spring, for farmers and tourists who rely on the road.

Stormwater Program Manager Mike Mundy said the goal is to get water away from homes and off of roadways.

“Ashville is so flat and it’s low-lying land, and that’s a problem we have in all of Virginia Beach. We want to get that water so it’s back into the storage of the ponds, so now we’re building more ponds,” said Mundy.

City officials said they plan to stabilize ditches off Princess Anne Road, build deeper water retention areas, and create channels that will help water flow out of a pump station and into the Ashville Bridge Creek.

RELATED: Back Bay Restoration Foundation fights development

“We’re also building more channels, those are large ditch canals and they help inter-connect the ponds so the water can better drain through the neighborhood. Fortunately, we’re close to Ashville Creek, which Ashville drains right into Back Bay, so there’s not a lot of places we could impact,” said Mundy. 

But neighbor Mark Johnson said that’s not true and that many residents will be impacted.

“That means the water is going to have to go someplace else. Which means it’s going to be in my backyard,” said Jonson. 

Johnson said numerous people who own homes and property surrounding the Ashville Park neighborhood will be the ones who have to deal with the water under the new plan.

“You get the opportunity to buy and live your dream and then you find out that the city or some entity is going to purposefully flood you out,” said Johnson. 

But this is just the first phase, Mundy said the city has more plans to come to move water out.

“Phase two, you’ll see more storage and more canals moving the water around and getting it over to Ashville Creek,” said Mundy.

RELATED: Water quality tests in Virginia Beach's Ashville Park

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