Norfolk’s plan to build a flood wall downtown to block damage from catastrophic storms could fall short by $48.8 million in state funds in the next fiscal year, according to changes to the proposed city budget.
The city’s fiscal 2025 budget plan includes $25 million allocated to the Coastal Storm Risk Management project, less than anticipated because of a likely reduction in state funding. City officials said that will not affect the immediate next phase of the project, but it could change how the city allocates money to the flood mitigation project later on.
“We have adequate funds in place to initiate construction on Phase 1A,” City Manager Pat Roberts said at a Norfolk City Council retreat on Tuesday. “We will need to revisit this as we get into design for Phase 1B.”
The project, which will cost $2.6 billion over the course of 10 years, is funded by federal, state and local money. The federal government will foot 65% of the bill, leaving 35%, or $931 million, to be funded by non-federal sources.
The governor originally proposed $73.8 million in state funding for the project in fiscal year 2025, but the General Assembly cut the proposed amount to $25 million. The state’s budget won’t be finalized until at least mid-May, when Virginia lawmakers are expected to return to Richmond to continue budget discussions.
The project will be completed in five phases. Nearly 9 miles of flood walls, levees, tide gates, pump stations and more will be constructed by the city and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to mitigate the effects of increased flooding from sea level rise and more frequent coastal storms. The first phase of the project will see flood walls stretching from West Ghent to the Harbor Park area, protecting hospitals, downtown and critical transportation corridors. Additional phases will address flooding with structural barriers around Pretty Lake, the Lafayette River watershed and Broad Creek. Other flood mitigation projects will address issues on the city’s south side.
The city planned for the state to split the remaining funding for the project not covered by federal sources evenly. Norfolk would fund $445 million over the next five years, and the state would match that. But that has not gone according to plan so far.
“Because we don’t have a long-term commitment from the state, we really, on a year-by-year basis, have to have that conversation with them,” Pete Buryk, director of budget department, said at last week’s council work session.
The city’s proposed budget for next fiscal year allocates only $25 million in state funds toward the project. Roberts said no local funding was included for project in the upcoming year because the city has previously covered associated costs.
The city has funded $91 million of the project so far, and designs are nearing completion for Phase 1A, according to Chief Resilience Officer Kyle Spencer. Construction of the flood wall on Phase 1A in the downtown area between the Berkley Bridge and Campostella Bridge is due to begin next year.
Phase 1B starts at the end of the existing downtown flood wall, with a levee built along the north edge of Town Point Park, end extends to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in West Ghent.
The project was laid out on a huge map of Norfolk unfurled on the floor of Slover Library’s main lobby Tuesday. Up close, a map legend showed locations of walls, flood and tide gates, stormwater projects and shoreline restoration ringing Norfolk neighborhoods. Viewed from the second- and third-story walkways above, light and dark blue shaded areas showed the locations of modeled storm surge flooding — flooding the city would be vulnerable to in coming decades without the project. Whole neighborhoods were swallowed in blue.
“This is the first project in the country doing it pre-disaster,” Spencer said. “Typically these projects are on the shelf till the hurricane wipes you out and you rebuild.”
Getting buy-in and funding now can be challenging, Spencer said. But planning for the disaster ahead of time is a model for coastal community futures others can follow.
Cianna Morales, 757-957-1304, cianna.morales@virginiamedia.com
