Norfolk to improve shoreline in Highland Park [Video]

NORFOLK, Va. — Protecting the shoreline is the effort behind the latest construction project in Norfolk.

“The idea is to make this look like the rest of this inlet,” said Chris Epes, Norfolk Division of Environmental Stormwater Management project manager.

That idea is to plant wetlands off West 51st Street in Norfolk. The city’s stormwater division is installing about 300 feet of new living shoreline. It’s a project that has been in the works for roughly 15 years.

“It’s a really important water quality piece,” Epes said, “designed to allow water to come down like stormwater to come down off of the street and to filter pollutants.”

He said work on this project started last month.

“Before it was mainly just a long pile of old concrete debris,” Epes said. “It will buffer boat wake and tidal waters in case of a storm.”

On Friday, crews …