PORTSMOUTH
Ida Mae Lynch, Evelyn Hughes and Florine Smith did everything right.
They moved to Trexler Avenue in North Truxtun as young wives many decades ago, raised children there, paid their bills and took pride in their homes.
Now the widowed women, who range in age from 76 to 89, face the prospect that they may have to leave the tidy, brick ranch houses they paid off long ago and their unspoken competition for the prettiest flowers.
“This is all we have, honey,” said Lynch, who is 82. “We’ve been here since 1947.”
Lynch, Hughes, Smith and neighbor Roosevelt Harmon could be displaced as part of a plan to extend Martin Luther King Freeway. As many as 21 residences and nine businesses could be affected.
The long-planned project, spearheaded by the Virginia Department of Transportation, would connect U.S. 58 to Interstate 264, creating a link between the Midtown and Downtown tunnels and reducing congestion through some Portsmouth streets.
“Who wants to move so many years of memories?” asked Harmon, who grew up on Trexler Avenue and now lives there again in his parents’ former home.
The Portsmouth City Council postponed a vote on the project last week after Harmon said he and his neighbors support the project but don’t want to lose their homes. The city scheduled a public hearing on the extension for its Tuesday meeting.
“It’s time we had some peace and joy, instead of thinking of moving someplace,” said Hughes, 89.
VDOT, which is soliciting bids for the project, plans to send information to potentially displaced residents and business owners soon, said project manager Nick Nies. A final decision on potential displacement won’t be made until detailed design plans are developed, sometime after 2010, Nies wrote in an e-mail.
The project will be a public-private partnership. The $195 million extension is part of a larger transportation proposal that calls for adding another tube to the Midtown Tunnel and easing congestion on both it and the Downtown Tunnel.
Lou Ann Riposa, a transportation right-of-way specialist and project manager, said the agency tries to relocate displaced people to similar residences or something better.
If displaced business and homeowners have already paid off their properties, VDOT tries to keep them from getting another mortgage, she said. However, she said she doesn’t know if that’s possible until the properties are appraised.
According to the city’s Web site, assessments on the Trexler Avenue homes that could be affected range from about $97,000 to $125,000.
VDOT also provides moving expenses to anyone displaced, Riposa said.
If Lynch, Hughes, Smith and Harmon and his wife are displaced, it won’t be the first time that residents in North Truxtun have had to move for a transportation project.
In 1958, The Virginian-Pilot reported that more than 173 homes in North Truxtun and Douglass Park could be affected by a plan to construct sections of Interstate 264. VDOT approved plans for the project in 1962 and 1964, according to Charles Horton, assistant right-of-way manager for VDOT’s Hampton Roads district.
During a recent interview in the living room where his mother taught piano for about 60 years before she died last year, Harmon said that plan originally called for the whole neighborhood to move.
Instead, North Truxtun was split down the middle of Trexler Avenue for the construction of Interstate 264, according to the residents.
Among those displaced were Harmon’s grandparents, who lived across Trexler Avenue. They moved to an area called Victory Manor, and others moved to what became Cavalier Manor, Harmon said.
He said his relatives felt just like he and his neighbors do now at the prospect of leaving : devastated.
“Once it came through once, if you live close to it, chances are you would experience it again,” said Norfolk attorney Joe Waldo, who specializes in eminent domain cases.
The flowers that dot the ladies’ and Harmon’s front yards now face an exit ramp off Interstate 264 at Frederick Boulevard.
The ladies can’t picture living anywhere else.
Lynch and Hughes were married to World War II veterans who later worked at the shipyard. Hughes worked for more than 25 years as a nurse’s assistant at DePaul Medical Center in Norfolk.
Smith, 76, cleaned houses, while her husband worked in construction.
Despite their ages, the ladies still love to work on their yards and grumble that they can no longer mow their lawns.
“I do everything,” Lynch said as she surveyed her backyard one day last week. “I love it. This is all I got.”
Out of her earshot, her son, Linwood Lynch, said his mother’s house is worth more than any dollar figure.
“Uprooting her?” he asked.
“It’s no telling what it will do to her. You can see she’s set in her ways.”
Jen McCaffery, (757) 446-2627, jen.mccaffery@pilotonline.com
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Ok
I determined they were old and not well off by reading the story. Perhaps poor, while accurate may not have been the best word, all of your answers are available if you read the story before you comment.
Reid, keep the red herring home. It is an obvious fact that much less space will be needed for mass transit such as a train than for highways. Building highways is a never ending cycle. The population will grow and feed the need for more and more roads. The only thing that will stop it will be the eventual use of fossil fuels to power them. I read most of your posts and your a reasonable person most of the time. How about and step up and admit your statement is misleading? These lessons have been learned in major cities decades ago. There simply is not enough space to keep paving everything...no matter who is using it.
What about the Norfolk side?
Ok, so Portsmouth wants to expand the highway to make it a 100% highway and not going thru city streets. They also talk about adding another tube to the midtown tunnel. My questions is this: Are they going to do anything on the Norfolk side of the midtown tunnel to get the traffic off of neighborhood streets, like Ghent? Hampton Blvd. already is insane with just 1 tube of tunnel traffic. How about creating a highway on the norfolk side to re-rout all those trucks and cars off of family neighborhood streets and not try to find ways to funnel more traffic on them! None of this makes any sense!
Ira must believe no one is displaced to build Light Rail ...
Ira must believe no one is ever displaced by building Light Rail ... and that buses don't use ROADS! To read ira's viewpoint, it is only privately owned cars that are evil. Ira doesn't mention vehilces using roads for business - now why is that? It is incredible what the mislead disciples of mass transit will think and say (publish). BTW - does anyone really think this proposed extension of the MLK Freeway has anything to do with CARS? Ha, ha, ha, ... too funny. My friends this project is all about PORT TRUCKS and special business interests, not about improving life for local commuters or residents.
It's called Progress
but you don't have to like it. My great aunt and uncle were displaced 3 TIMES during the construction of the original interchange between MLK and London Blvd. They were both retired and in their 80's at the time. Each time they ended up in a comparable home to the one that had been "acquired" by the city. It was a huge hassle, but they didn't complain. My uncle Tom liked to make the point that without change, there can be no progress. He was proud that the city he had lived in for so long had progressed to the point it required new roads.
Skoops88
If you don't care, please feel free not to comment. Those of us who live in Portsmouth, keep abreast of the issues, and actually do try to make a difference, do care.
Old *poor* people
Why does Ira Tateu presume these are old "poor" people? Nothing in the story explicitly addresses their economic status.
"Who cares if some old poor peopel get the boot as long as we are not inconvenienced...right?"
This is not a plan rather a
This is not a plan rather a reaction to a failure to plan (FTP). Sorry, but it is as simple as that. Let's cite some other FTPs. RTA - Oops! They forgot that "no taxation without representation" thingy. Population decline by an annual 2% since 2006 coupled with continued building in the worst housing market in recorded history! So let's talk about root causes here and not damage control. Root cause is lack of quality leadership with vision and common sense beyond lining one's pocket. Where are the leaders that used to put welfare of others above that of their own? Bubble gum and duct tape won't fix our roads and congestion. What we need is creative and thinking out-of-the-box leadership that is not afraid to risk his or her neck and do what is right for the benefit of others. I think there is an oath somewhere that embodies this theme. This tunnel to tunnel shortcut is just a make me feel good fleecin
Man in the mirror
Those of you who clamor for more roads for more cars are to blame. Everytime someone bashes public transit so they can ride alone in a car, it is you who kicked them out of their homes. If a car for every person to ride in alone, usually with no need, is to be part of the future then so will evicting people from there private property. The roads have to go somewhere. Who cares if some old poor peopel get the boot as long as we are not inconvenienced...right?
Its P-town...
Who cares.
Its P-town...
Who cares.
Sorry...but it does make sense
I do feel for the long time residents...but the extension does make sense. MLK Freeway ending/beginning on High Street is crazy and there should be a logical join between there and 264.
I Guess...
...you need to displace residents and make room for increased traffic thru the tunnel. After all, you will have a new convention center being built with HUD money by the "High Queen" herself! Maybe Portsmouth should just give in to the families that would be displaced and take some of the remaining HUD money and give these people fair market value plus an additional fee.
I can't believe
I can't believe that they are willing to displace people who have little means of defending themselves and their property. The last line of the article shows that for these residents, it's not about money. It's about stability and not creating new problems where before none existed. They will try to make sure the residents don't have to pay a mortgage if their houses were already paid off, but it's not likely? What is that? Why should they be forced to completely readjust to new lives, to new payments, in this rapidly declining economy? I'm tired of hearing about people who have little means of fighting and even less support behind them being taken advantage of.
I will have to agree with Council on this one.
This matter was discussed at the last City Council meeting. One big complaint was that VDOT pulled this rabbit out of the hat with little warning or advance notice to the residents. One day they were living happily in their homes and the next day they have 6 months to be out. At the time of the council meeting VDOT had not opened much communication with those involved. Who likes to be treated like that? VDOT did make a presentation to the city but questions went unanswered because VDOT did not have the right people at the meeting.
Reading the article it seems that VDOT has now improved it's communications and changed the eviction date.
Council did the right thing by postponing the vote until this matter could be looked at in more detail.
Just compensation
I sure would like to know where they are going to find replacement housing for these people for $125,000? Houseing prices are so out of line compared to incomes in this area. My sympathies are with these folks.
shortsighted
I can't believe people can call this an unnecessary project because the Midtown tunnel hasn't been expanded to 2 tubes yet. I suppose in articles on the plans to expand the Midtown Tunnel they claim the project is unnecessary because it doesn't connect to 264.
Clearly, this project is intended to work in conjunction with future expansion of the Midtown, yet even if the new tube is delayed for a few more decades, the MLK extension will relieve traffic from Bowers Hill and shorten travel distance from the MMBT to the Downtown, making that a much more viable alternative to the HRBT for through-traffic. The only thing that would make more sense is if the plan also included extending the MLK across 264 and along Frederick, Elm, and a rebuilt Jordan Bridge to 464.
thives
its funny you always say property values and this and that.you are talking about taking someones home not a property value,i am sure these folks are on limited income and now you say without causing a mortgage.you can not replace a similar home for 90 to 125k.what about the security these people have knowing that their homes belong to them.you should have homes built with property's very similar to what they have and call it even.the thought of having to make a mortgage for an older person i am sure is terrifying and such a strain on their income.
Priorities Mixed Up
Why in the world is P-Town Council or VDOT even considering wasting money on this road connection? Knowing this area pretty well after traveling in both tunnels and (alleged) cross-city traffic for lots of years, this isn't going to relieve the tunnel "bottle-necks" that are driving citizens crazy. Focus on funding more lanes of tunnels, bridges, whatever getting to/from P-Town/Norfolk if you want to address the congestion problem at the sources. Leave these poor, elderly folks alone.
Its not a Tunnel, Its a FUNNEL
Without increasing the number of lanes in the Tunnel itself, this project is no different than that of the Pinners Point project which only allowed the traffic to get log jammed closer to the mouth of the tunnel. Don't increase my taxes to pay for this, only to just allow me to sit in traffic and burn gas.
If it means
taking the property of people like this who haven't the means to fight back in order to save their homes from confiscation, I think the State would move a lot faster than you might think....
progress
cant allow a couple of people stand in the way of a regions progress
modern medicine
While I greatly appreciate these tug on the hear string stories, unless huge advances are made in modern medicine within the next 5 - 10 years, I have a hard time believing that these "long time residents" will be affected. My guess is that our blundering General Assembly may possibly find funding for this by 2050.