Queens Lake residents combat anticipated runoff from I-64 widening
Cutting through a swath of woods and newly sprouted, bright-green skunk cabbage in the Queens Lake neighborhood is a black sheet of silt fence 180 feet long, running parallel to Interstate 64 a few hundred feet away.
Decades ago, this swath was underwater, part of the 20 acres of Queens Lake that’s been lost to infilling sediment, according to Jack Dooley, who’s building a house in the neighborhood.
While not a great aesthetic addition, the residents who put up the silt fence see it as a measure to protect their lake and other waterways from the runoff of I-64. With the widening of the I-64 segment that straddles Queens Lake scheduled to start in the fall, a group of residents is still pushing VDOT and its contractor to take the necessary measures to mitigate the effects on their neighborhood.
As he walked through the woods to the silt fence, Dooley joked that he was walking on the surface of Queens Lake — “It’s really become Queens Forest.”
For decades, the lake has been filled in by stormwater runoff, depositing sediment and raising the lake bed over time. Longtime residents can recall spots where they used to swim as kids that are now just muddy stretches. Some properties have docks that lead to land.
Check out the Queens Lake Community.
Psst, I’m a real estate agent.
This post was authored by local resident and REALTOR, John Womeldorf. John is known around town as Mr. Williamsburg, for both his extensive knowledge of the Williamsburg/ Hampton Roads/ Richmond VA area and his expertise helping buyers and sellers in the local real estate market.
If you are a homeowner searching for someone innovative to sell your home I would love to share my thoughts on marketing. You can read some of the stories I have written about the homes I have sold here.
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