Partial flooding fix on table for Route 627 in New Kent

Residents of the Chickahomny Shores community and areas lying south of the CSX Railroad track along Route 627 in the Lanexa area of New Kent County are demanding a solution to frequent flooding that isolates the region. Two weeks ago, they learned a partial fix, at least, is on the way.

Virginia Department of Transportation officials met with close to 50 residents inside the Chickahominy Shores Community Center on Oct. 21 to announce a project to raise the road is in the works.

At issue is Route 627 (South Waterside Drive) where the road parallels the railroad track and crosses Fanny’s Creek. A steep hill and the elevated track serve as a barrier to water that pours into the creek during heavy rains. High tide from the nearby Chickahominy River often complicates matters.

For now, a pair of 48-inch culverts carries water under the road and track, but the openings are insufficient to prevent the road from being inundated, making vehicle passage impossible. For many years, residents have complained, voicing fears about floods blocking fire/rescue vehicle access in the event of an emergency.

Residents reiterated those fears during the Oct. 21 meeting, but this time VDOT officials said a plan is in the works. That plan has a goal of raising Route 627 to provide enough clearance to install four to six additional culverts below the pavement.

There are restraints, however, by which VDOT must abide. Work cannot take place outside of the road’s footprint due to an easement matter and wetlands that border the pavement. And since shoulders flanking the pavement must be tapered, the height the road can be raised is limited because lane widths must be maintained.

VDOT officials are aiming to raise the roadbed at least 18 inches. And it’s for certain the diameter of the new culverts cannot match the existing pair.

For instance, an 18-inch reinforced concrete culvert has a total diameter of 24 inches. Then there must be a minimum of six inches of material separating the top of the pipe from the pavement above.

“We’re committed to make this work. It may not be a perfect solution, but it should alleviate some of the flooding,” Scott Gagnon, VDOT’s director of transportation and land development planning and investment management, told the residents.

Already, the project has support of VDOT’s district manager, Gagnon said. The next step, he added, is to have the plan approved by VDOT’s environmental engineers. But that could be a sticking point.

“We cannot impact the area upstream any more than it is now,” he told the crowd. “And we must stay within the existing roadbed and not affect that footprint.

“The goal now is to find out how much we can do,” he said. “The goal is to get 18 inches lift, but we don’t know the answers now.

“We have to sit down and work through it,” he went on. “We’re not letting this sit idle. We had a staff meeting last week on it.”

VDOT resident maintenance manager Mike Cade termed the project a temporary solution.

“We’re hoping we’re going to lessen the [flooding] impact,” Cade said, adding there’s no guarantee water will never again cover the road. “We’ve got approval to spend the money; we’ve just got to get environmental okay.”

Both Cade and Gagnon declined to guess at the culvert size if final approval is gained. Neither would speculate as to the project’s cost.

“We’re looking to do this with maintenance funds, not construction funds, mainly because there are no construction funds,” Cade said.

Some residents suggested the project entail sheet piling, but VDOT officials said doing so would make the bottom line cost prohibitive.

Others urged VDOT to pursue grant money, but officials said that task is up to the county. New Kent administrator Cabell Lawton, who sat in on the meeting, promised to explore possible grants and update the Board of Supervisors on the situation.

“We’re putting the plan on paper and giving it to our environmental folks for okay,” Cade told the crowd. “Then hopefully it will take less than three months for work to get started.”

“We’re optimistic this will be helpful,” said Gagnon. “It’s not a perfect solution, and we don’t pretend it is.”

District 4 Supervisor Stran Trout, who represents the area and attended the meeting, said CSX plans later this month to upgrade the Route 627 crossing.