Prior Studies Include

• In 1990, the City of Virginia Beach hired Langley and McDonald to perform preliminary engineering work on the Ferrell Parkway Phase VI & VII corridor. The preliminary work included an alternative analysis, which recommended Ferrell Parkway Phase VI & VII as the preferred corridor.
• An improvements corridor study (conducted by Wiley & Wilson) was completed by the City of Virginia Beach in 1999, which included multiple variations of improvements and alignments within the existing Sandbridge Road corridor (from General Booth Boulevard to the intersection of Sandfiddler Road), as well as construction within the Ferrell Parkway corridor (current Nimmo Parkway corridor). 
  • The 1999 planning study recommended the Ferrell Parkway corridor, including an 800-foot long bridge over Ashville Bridge Creek, as the "recommended alternative" at that time.
• In July 2001, Virginia Beach City Council established the 'Sandbridge Road Corridor Improvements' project in its Capital Improvements Program (CIP) and in 2002 had a preliminary engineering study (conducted by VHB) completed of improvements to Sandbridge Road and Princess Anne Road. 
  • This study was solely focused on improvements to the existing alignment, portions thereof, and/or new alignments along the corridor of Princess Anne Road from General Booth Boulevard to Upton Drive, and along Sandbridge Road from Upton Drive to Sandfiddler Road. 
    • Following analysis of six alignments, the study identified a "preferred alternative". This alignment generally followed the existing Sandbridge Road corridor, with the exception of a deviation into an undeveloped parcel containing forested wetlands needed to ease sharp curves and other hazards. 
    • In September 2002, the initial findings of the study and the "preferred alternative" were presented to the Virginia Beach City Council. At that time, the Virginia Beach City Council requested additional information regarding comparison of the 'Sandbridge Road Corridor Improvement Project' alignments to the Nimmo Parkway corridor (the preferred alignment from the 1999 Sandbridge Road Corridor Study). 
    • An October 2002 comparison study and 2003 comparison study identified the Nimmo Parkway corridor as the preferred option.
• Since the studies in 1999 and 2002/2003, sea level rise has accelerated in the Hampton Roads area. Due to this threat, the City of Virginia Beach is protecting critical infrastructure from the rising waters. Previous studies for both Sandbridge Road and Nimmo Parkway Phase VII-B assumed a roadway elevation of 6 feet, but the proposed project will now need a roadway elevation of approximately 8 feet. 
  • This would increase impacts from the previous studies along Sandbridge Road and have adverse impacts to private properties including ramping driveways up to the roadway, drainage issues, and septic issues.