SUFFOLK, Virginia – Suffolk City Council is postponing a vote on its comprehensive plan until Nov. 20 due to residents’ concerns about traffic congestion in the area.
“I can’t even leave my house. I can’t even go out on the street,” one Suffolk resident said at the meeting, speaking about the traffic accidents occurring in the region.
But she was not the only one: Many residents expressed their displeasure with the city’s comprehensive 2045 plan. They said traffic would get worse and that their concerns were not sufficiently addressed in the new plan.
Watch: Suffolk Mayor Talks Traffic and Public Safety
Mayor of Suffolk speaks about traffic and public safety
“There was a total gridlock, no one was moving,” said Chess Harris, a Suffolk resident.
Harris told the council that only about 13 pages of the entire comprehensive plan addressed the issue of traffic congestion.
“So let’s look at this plan. What does it say? On the first page, the definition of the corridors. On the second page, a picture of the corridors. On the next page, the definitions of congestion and service levels,” he said.
On Tuesday, News 3 spoke to Suffolk Mayor Mike Duman by phone. He said they will be developing a more detailed master transportation plan before the Nov. 20 meeting because he and other city leaders realized the current plan could be improved.
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Suffolk Transit’s approach to a growing city
“The reality is that whether you like it or not, according to the Hampton Roads Transportation and Planning Organization, there will be twice as much truck traffic on 460 within a decade because it’s coming from the port,” Duman said at the meeting.
However, Duman also says the city is currently working on traffic solutions for the present, not the year 2045. Some projects the city has in the pipeline include widening US-58, widening Bridge Road, improvements to Route 460, for which it recently received $31 million from the governor’s office, and construction of the Nansemond Parkway Bridge.
Attention: One of the major bridge projects in Suffolk is the reconstruction of the King’s Highway Bridge
Major bridge projects in Suffolk such as the reconstruction of the King’s Highway Bridge
“The best way to get rid of trains blocking railroad crossings is to drive over them so you don’t have to cross at that point,” Suffolk Public Works Director Robert Lewis said of the Nansemond Parkway.
Duman has agreed to meet with News 3 in the coming weeks to further discuss some of these projects.
If Suffolk residents would like to get involved, there will be another public meeting later in the year before the vote.