HAMPTON, Va. — Construction barrels were out Friday on a portion of N. Armistead Ave. in Hampton for a multi-million dollar road raising project that was getting underway.
“It’s been a long time coming," said Hampton Coastal Resilience Engineer Scott Smith.
Since 2019, the city of Hampton had been working to get the N. Armistead Ave. road raising project underway. News 3 met Smith along the road in 2025 to talk about the project as the city was trying to get an easement for it.
Watch: Hampton may use eminent domain as major road project moves forward
He met News 3 there again for this story. The road is a major artery in the city and frequently floods.
“Over the past year, there’s been 15 events where flooding has impacted the eastbound lanes," Smith said.
Smith said the project was on schedule as of Friday. When it’s done, the half-mile stretch of the road between Convention Center Blvd. and Thomas St. will be about three and a half feet higher. A new multi-use trail will give neighborhoods along N. Armistead Ave. safe access to nearby Lake Hampton.
“The first phase is going to be working on the medians, so they’ve restricted the traffic to the outside lanes," Smith explained.
But, while the city says the project is needed, longtime Hampton resident Dan Wilson disagrees.
“I believe it’s a waste of time," Wilson said.
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He frequently drives the road. He said flooding isn’t as bad as the city makes it out to be and worries the project will create another problem.
“The neighborhood behind us over here, it’s going to flood real bad," Wilson said.
The city said reducing flooding on the road could help attract development to the area. That could mean more money and jobs for the city, so News 3 asked Wilson if he thinks that’s a worthwhile trade-off.
Watch: Tour highlights planned work to address flooding in historic Hampton Community
“No," Wilson responded.
As of Friday, the project was expected to be complete in the fall of 2028.
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