Virginia Beach city engineer outlines boardwalk’s role in flood protection

Toni Utterback, the city engineer from Virginia Beach, described the oceanfront boardwalk as both a community amenity and a key piece of the city’s coastal flood-protection system.

"When the 1st oceanfront resorts were built, a series of wooden boardwalks ran along the beach," Utterback said, recounting the structure’s history. She said wood later gave way to concrete, and after continued storm damage the city partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild the boardwalk in phases "throughout the eighties and nineties, bringing modern engineering to our shoreline."

Utterback said the boardwalk now serves three primary functions: public recreation (including beachgoing, concerts and art shows), acting as a seawall to help keep storm surges from crashing into the resort area and protecting hotels, businesses and restaurants along Atlantic and Pacific avenues, and providing subsurface conveyance for stormwater. She explained that large underground pipes route street runoff to pump stations at 16th and 42nd streets.

Utterback framed the boardwalk as an early large-scale project that demonstrated the city’s capacity to deliver flood-protection infrastructure and help shape the broader flood-protection program: "Keeping Virginia Beach resilient for years to come," she said.

No formal decisions or votes were recorded in the presentation; Utterback’s remarks were given as an overview of existing infrastructure and its purpose.