Pungo Ferry Road Project
At a glance
- What: The Pungo Ferry Road improvement project in the south of the city, one of three critical evacuation routes; flooding closed it three or four times last year, forcing a 20 mile detour.
- Where it stands: Staff said the federal PROTECT grant obligation deadline (September 30) was met, though the federal government is still confirming it has funds to process the grant. The project goes out to bid within about 90 days (December), with bids opening in spring.
- What's next: A budget adjustment is likely because the project gap exceeds available funding.
Details
- Local bond referendum money was cut from 11 million to 5 million dollars after part was moved to Windsor Woods, Princess Anne Plaza and the Lakes mega bundle.
- A council member (apparently Barbara Henley) raised it because the Farm Bureau listed it as a priority. A second member mentioned a meeting with a national EPA official on this and a companion project.
September 2026
- September 15 flood program briefing: Pungo Ferry design is 90% complete and a USDOT PROTECT grant of $19M supports the project. See Flood Protection Program Update.
Sources
- 2026-10-06 - City Council (video)
- 2026-10-13 - City Council (auto-captioned recording of the October 13, 2026 City Council briefing session)
- 2026-09-15 - City Council (official minutes: https://edocs.vbgov.com/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=51866249&dbid=0&repo=CityClerk)
Discussion time
About 3 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).
| Meeting | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-13 - City Council | 3 |
Log
- 2026-10-13 - City Council — Council asked for and received a status update: grant obligation met, bid in about 90 days, budget adjustment likely.
- 2026-10-06 - City Council — A councilmember asked for an update; staff said the federal grant milestone was met by September 30 and the project remains on schedule.
- 2026-09-15 - 2026-09-15 - City Council: Flood program briefing reported 90% design complete and $19M in PROTECT funding.