NORFOLK, Va. — Downtown Norfolk's Kindred development sits just blocks from Harbor Park, but getting between the two requires a car trip around Interstate 264 — a disconnect the City of Norfolk is working to address through its Reconnecting Communities program.
Keith Barrow, a Norfolk city engineer, and Kyle Gilmer, a transportation planner, are among those leading the effort to find a solution.
"We've got Kindred right over there and as you can see, it's broken up by the interstate," Barrow said.
The problem dates to when the interstate was planned in the 1960s. Harbor Park and the future casino are cut off from the under-construction Kindred neighborhood in St. Paul's and the rest of downtown.
In 2023, the city received $1.6 million in federal funding to study how to address the area between the Berkley Bridge and I-264's Brambleton Avenue exit.
"It takes a long way to get around to where you need to," Barrow said.
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., spoke to the scope of what could be considered when the funding was announced.
"We aren't going to tear down the interstate but it does mean maybe you can move in a ramp," Warner said.
Barrow echoed that wide-open approach, three years later.
"Anything is on the table really. We're looking at removing ramps, adding ramps, adjusting local roads," Barrow said.
Last week, Barrow and Gilmer gave the final presentation of community engagement portion of the study to a downtown organization, showing a map where areas marked in orange could be targeted for modification.
Some included the Market Street off-ramp, ramps from Tidewater Drive to the the interstate and the Brambleton Avenue ramps.
"The next step will be coming up with concepts. Trying to figure out what works, what doesn't work," Barrow said.
Gilmer described what happens from there.
"Exploring the scenarios and the different alternatives. Then, we'll go out to the community again," Gilmer said.
The city hopes to finish the full study within two years, a process that will include additional community discussions and require coordination with state and federal governments. Any real, visible change is expected to take years.
Gilmer said the long-term vision includes current residents — including those alive when the interstate was built — but puts emphasis on younger people.
"We want to focus on the youth and emerging generations because those are our future drivers," Gilmer said.
The goal is a restored downtown street grid that is easier to navigate.
"We've connected it better east-west through Kindred with Freemason Street. We're hoping to do that with MacArthur mall, with whatever happens there, and really restore these connections," Barrow said.
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