CAPE CHARLES, Va. — The Cape Charles met to review the long-standing electrical and infrastructure issues along Mason Avenue, which are moving closer to resolution as town officials advance plans for a comprehensive electrical upgrade paired with sidewalk, accessibility, and streetscape improvements. Despite the needs, work will be hard and expensive. Working on low-hanging fruit, such as managing flower and tree beds, tree removal, sidewalk widening, and wheelchair accessible entry points. There are more issues than just Christmas lights, but fixing and managing large-scale infrastructure issues.
The Town Council is moving toward submitting an IFP for work from Harbor to Bay Ave. While Councilwoman Ashworth strenuously pushed to move the work to Strawberry Street, the notion was waved off due to the extensive engineering and design requirements.
The initiative stems from persistent problems on the north side of Mason Avenue, particularly along the west end, where undersized wiring has led to voltage drops that diminish streetlight performance. The situation has also created seasonal safety concerns. During holiday events, tree lighting has required surface wiring to be run along sidewalks from light poles to trees — a setup officials describe as both awkward and unsafe.
An Invitation for Bids issued in early 2025 drew only a single response, with costs exceeding $400,000. A recent on-site project review with contractors confirmed that multiple physical impediments must be addressed before electrical work can proceed.
This is a very dense process, with many working parts. It will be several years before any sense of completion will be in place. Using the staff report and the Town Council’s discussion, we will attempt to provide some perspective on the overall project.
North Side Constraints Identified
The most significant challenges are concentrated on the north side between Peach and Harbor avenues. That stretch contains ten light poles and 22 planting beds, about half of which contain trees. Officials identified five large or poorly positioned trees contributing to infrastructure conflicts.
Sixteen of the planting beds were found to be excessively wide, constricting pedestrian space. Only three currently allow room for a standard five-foot sidewalk within the right-of-way, while nine provide less than four feet of clearance. The tightest point narrows to roughly 1.5 feet. In addition, two handicap-accessible parking spaces lack compliant ramps.
South Side Conditions More Favorable
Conditions on the south side are comparatively better. There are no undersized wiring issues along that stretch, which includes seven light poles and 17 trees. Sidewalk space remains largely unconstrained until the war memorial area, though one oversized tree and a single crosswalk without an ADA-compliant ramp were noted as concerns.
Corrective Work Planned
To prepare the corridor for electrical improvements, the town is proposing targeted site work. Plans call for removing six trees on the north side and one on the south, narrowing 16 planting beds to restore full sidewalk width, and constructing ADA-compliant ramps at key locations, including Strawberry and Pine streets and the west Strawberry crosswalk.
Replacement tree plantings and landscaping are also planned to maintain Mason Avenue’s historic character while improving functionality. Town officials are coordinating streetscape decisions — including tree species, placement, and planting bed design — with Cape Charles Main Street and the Cape Charles Historic District Civic League. Commonwealth Preservation Group has been engaged to provide preservation-sensitive design recommendations.
Electrical System Overhaul
The electrical upgrade itself will significantly modernize service along the corridor. Plans include boosting the north side power supply to 200 amps, installing new two-inch conduit with properly sized wiring, and intercepting existing conduit on the south side.
Additional features will include in-ground junction boxes serving streetlights and trees, power pedestals with GFCI outlets in planting beds for seasonal lighting, and separate electrical circuits for each block to improve reliability and load management.
Phased Implementation
The project will be implemented in phases, beginning with work funded in the FY 2026 budget. Approximately $164,000 is currently allocated, including a $50,000 Northampton Tourism grant restricted to electrical improvements.
Phase 1 is expected to focus on preparatory site work — estimated at $85,000 — followed by roughly $50,000 in conduit, wiring, and junction box installation along the north side between Harbor and Bay. This segment will also be configured to support future streetlights and tree-lighting infrastructure.
Future phases will be refined after Phase 1 costs are finalized and preservation guidance is received. Long-range planning examples include extending conduit and wiring from Peach to Harbor, adding junction boxes and power pedestals on the south side, upgrading Strawberry Street utilities, installing new streetlights along Harbor-to-Bay and Strawberry corridors, and enhancing planting beds.
Those later stages are expected to be incorporated into the town’s Capital Asset Management Plan and considered during FY 2027 budget deliberations.
Town officials say the effort represents more than an electrical fix — positioning Mason Avenue for safer pedestrian access, improved lighting reliability, and a more cohesive historic streetscape.
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