NORFOLK, Va. — Flooding is a familiar challenge for residents in Norfolk’s Pretty Lake area, but city leaders say new infrastructure may soon offer hope.

The city, in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is advancing preliminary plans for a coastal storm risk management project aimed at protecting the East Ocean View neighborhood from severe weather and rising sea levels.

“The Pretty Lake area is one of the target areas for the city’s coastal Storm Risk Management Project,” said Justin Shafer, Norfolk’s coastal resilience manager. “We’ve completed a feasibility study, and now we’ve started work on early designs and field assessments.”

Plans call for a floodgate near Shore Drive and walls extending into the community to keep out water from large nor’easters and hurricanes

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