Virginia Beach and Norfolk to receive $10.3 million for improvements at military bases

The cities of Virginia Beach and Norfolk were awarded more than $10.3 million in federal funding for infrastructure improvements at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story and Naval Station Norfolk.

“This funding will improve operations and resiliency, which is critical to keep our communities safe,” Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine said in a Friday announcement. “We look forward to seeing how these improvements will benefit servicemembers, their families, and the communities of Virginia Beach and Norfolk.”

Of the $10.3 million, about $8 million will be used to replace deteriorated infrastructure at the Fort Story Creeds Law Enforcement Training Facility.

“These improvements will provide a modern training environment for civilian and military police and Navy forces, and they will enhance operational readiness, training efficiency, and the ability to accommodate total force requirements,” the senators said.

The remaining $2.3 million will be used to improve Naval Station Norfolk’s stormwater management system on a main access road to reduce flooding so as not to impede access to the installation.

The funding was awarded through the Defense Community Infrastructure Pilot Program, which helps make improvements to enhance military operations, installation resilience and military family quality of life.

In 2022, Hampton and Newport News were awarded a combined $13.8 million for projects at Joint Base Langley-Eustis and Naval Weapons Station Yorktown.

In 2021, $250,000 went toward improvements for Naval Medical Center Portsmouth and $650,000 went toward the restoration of beach and dune systems at Fort Story.

In 2020, the Department of Defense reported multiple military installations in Hampton Roads are vulnerable to recurrent flooding as a result of climate change.

More recently in July, Naval Station Norfolk and Fort Story, along with five other local installations, were accepted into the Sentinel Landscape Partnership. The land conservation designation spanning 3 million acres of Virginia will help military installations, including seven in Hampton Roads, prepare for climate change.

Caitlyn Burchett, caitlyn.burchett@virginiamedia.com