VB Public Works Announces Accelerated Schedule for 19th Street Corridor

May 14, 2020

VB Public Works Announces Accelerated Schedule for 19th Street Corridor Virginia Beach Public Works has announced an accelerated schedule for completion of road improvement projects along 19th Street near the Oceanfront to assist local businesses in the area. With Governor Northam lifting restrictions on restaurants that allows them to serve in outdoor areas beginning this weekend, many of the restaurant owners were concerned about the road projects interfering with outdoor dining and other potential business along the 19th Street corridor. Virginia Beach City Council voted to approve outdoor restaurant dining and to authorize the city manager to approve temporary outdoor dining permits at their Thursday afternoon special session. Public Works officials and the contractor met with some of those local business owners a few weeks ago to discuss how to accelerate some of the work that would benefit them, especially with the partial lifting of some restrictions.Officials were able to work out an accelerated schedule with the contractor that allowed them to move up the scheduled work by over two weeks. The current project at the intersection of 19th Street and Parks Avenue calls for completing the work in time to be able to open to traffic beginning this Friday (the 15th). With the new schedule, PW officials hope to complete the intersection work at both 19th Street and Mediterranean Avenue, as well as 19th Street and Cypress Avenue in the coming weeks. Laura Wood Habr, co-founder of the ViBe Creative District and co-owner of Croc's 19th Street Bistro, issued a statement: "We are thankful for the positive response we received from both the City of Virginia Beach's Public Works department and the Strategic Growth Office for working so diligently with the businesses along the 19th Street corridor." City of Virginia Beach | Public Works Department | Virginia Beach, VA 23456"These are extraordinary times for our community and tourism industry as we meet the challenges and business disruption due to COVID19. We are really looking forward to the opening of cafe restaurants and the completion of one of the most remarkable streets in our city – and most importantly - designed to allow social distancing." ### News Releases: VBgov.com/PW/News