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Light-rail Progress Report for Norfolk

Light-rail in Norfolk is quickly becoming a reality. The Virginian-Pilot recently posted a progress report.

Light-rail will help ease traffic congestion, which appeals to homeowners, visitors and businesses. It's a great way to help boost the local economy simply by making it easier to get around town.

"Viaduct

$13.6 million

Viaduct construction between Harbor Park and Norfolk State University. Includes a 3,400-foot elevated structure and relocation of Holt Street.

Status: 96.7 percent complete

East end track

$40.9 million

Norfolk Southern right of way between Norfolk State and Newtown Road. Bridges over Broad Creek and Norfolk Southern tracks.

Status: 70.5 percent complete

Electrical work

$27.7 million

The work includes poles, overhead wires, substations and grade crossings and gates.

Status: 44.3 percent complete

Demolition

$1.5 million

Asbestos abatement and demolition of Kirn Memorial Library and other structures.

Status: 93.2 percent complete

What's next: Shop and storage yard. Light-rail stations. Park and ride lots."

Read the orginial story.

Posted on Monday, October 19, 2009 - 12:10pm

Norfolk Residents Get a Glimpse of New Light-Rail Cars

The Tide light-rail cars arrived in Norfolk, according to The Virginian-Pilot.

The first vehicle to arrive is expected to be No. 407, the number of the last streetcar that ran in Norfolk in 1948. The service is set to launch next October, and will help improve transporation in Norfolk.

"They're modern, sleek, and unlike any transit vehicle the area has seen.

Locals were introduced to The Tide light-rail cars today when the first two arrived in Norfolk. The cars traveled cross country by freight train from Siemens Transportation Systems Inc. in Sacramento, Calif.

Flooding in Atlanta and the derailment of another train in North Carolina delayed their delivery, but city and transit leaders vow the trains will run on time once they start operating here a year from now.

Another seven vehicles will arrive, mostly two at a time, over the next several months. Their cost, including spare parts, is $36 million.

With a service launch set for October next year, the vehicles will be stored until the route is electrified and testing of the cars and tracks can begin. Construction of Norfolk's $288 million starter light-rail line, from the medical complex west of downtown to the city line at Newtown Road, just hit the 50 percent completion mark."

Read the full story, including a video and pictures of the new light-rail cars.

Posted on Thursday, October 8, 2009 - 4:17pm

Public Weighs in on Newtown-area Work

Earlier this week about 100 residents and business owners talked about how the city should move forward with redeveloping Newtown and light-rail, according to The Virginian-Pilot.

This is a topic that homeowners in the area should be concerned about because of the possiblities of improved local economy and property values that could come from enhanced transportation.

"How to redevelop 450 acres next to Norfolk was the subject Thursday night as the Beach sought input from the public, though the obvious subtext was whether the city should pursue light rail.

The land, which planners call the Newtown "strategic growth area," sits near the Norfolk light-rail station, which is under construction just across the city line at Newtown and Kempsville roads.

As about 100 residents and business owners talked around tables strewn with maps and colored sticky dots, light rail clearly was on their minds.

A planned flyover of Interstate 264 to link Greenwich Road and Cleveland Street is also a major element in planning the future of the mostly industrial area. That new link would directly connect the Newtown area with Pembroke and Town Center, a high-profile city redevelopment effort.

On light rail, opinions were mixed.

Virginia Beach is buying the old Norfolk Southern rail line that crosses the city for $40 million. The City Council has not taken an official stance on light rail, but planning for it is moving ahead."

Read the full story.

Posted on Friday, October 2, 2009 - 7:29pm

Will VA Beach Residents and Visitors Be Riding Light-Rail

Light-rail in Virginia Beach? Could be coming soon, according to The Virginia-Pilot. A recent meeting between residents, city officials, and consultants talked about what light-rail would look like in VA Beach.

Light-rail could be a great improvement to the city and help with traffic congestion, making it easier for visitors to get around, but also for residents. Improvements to transportation in areas like VA Beach which struggle with seasonal traffic congestion can help make the area more marketable to homebuyers, which will help increase property values.

"It was no town-hall meeting on health care - that's for sure.

About 100 mostly laid- back residents - and about half as many city officials and consultants - turned out Wednesday night for the first public meeting on a possible light-rail project in Virginia Beach. The meeting was largely about the bureaucratic process for getting a project off the ground, but residents got to meet the people behind the effort.

Hampton Roads Transit is conducting a $5.7 million study to answer the basic question: What kind of mass transit could work in the Beach? The study, due next year, is expected to nail down details on light-rail routes, cost, the number of riders, the location of park-and-ride lots, road closures, the environmental impact and noise. A bus rapid-transit system is also an option. So is extending light rail to Norfolk Naval Station.

The study's completion would open the door for federal funding, and competition is fierce for those dollars, HRT President Michael Townes told residents. Any project is at least six years away.

Meanwhile, Virginia Beach is expected to soon close a $40 million deal for the old 10.6-mile railroad corridor between Newtown Road and the Oceanfront that could be used to link to Norfolk's line, which is under construction."

Read full story.

Posted on Thursday, September 10, 2009 - 9:23pm

Norfolk light rail stations' look is built on flexibility

Norfolk's starter line for light-rail is starting to take shape as the stations have been designed, poles and wires are going up and the pavement around the rail has been dyed red, according to the Virginia Pilot.

The 7.4-mile light-rail line will run from Newtown Road at the city line through downtown to Eastern Virginia Medical School. It's projected to carry 6,000 to 12,000 passengers a day. The project is being paid for with federal, state and local money. Norfolk's share is $53.7 million. The state is contributing $67.1 million and the federal government is contributing $167.2 million.

This is a great addition to the area that will help improve traffic conditions making it easier for residents and visitors to get around town. Enhancements like this will improve day-to-day life for those who commute to work or school, but will also help to protect home values because overcrowded streets and highways can be a turnoff for potential homebuyers and new businesses.

"The look of Norfolk's light-rail starter line - scheduled to open in about a year - is starting to take shape.

Stations have been designed.

Electrical poles and wires are going up.

The pavement around embedded rail has been dyed red.

Until now, much of the work on the $288 million rail line, the Tide, has been in the ground. With construction nearly 50 percent complete, though, the Tide is rising.

City officials have decided on a neo classical style for the 11 light-rail station shelters that is designed to fit in historic neighborhoods, including Freemason, as well as more suburban settings, including Ingleside.

The shelters' appearances will vary, with heavier columns and finishes downtown and lighter, more airy features in the outlying neighborhoods, planning director Frank Duke said. Their size will vary as well, with larger shelters at stations that are projected to carry more passengers.

Each will have benches, trash cans, lighting and a ticket vending machine."

Read full story.

Posted on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 - 3:28pm

VA Beach business leaders say no to light-rail referendum

Image from The LebersTop business leaders in Virginia Beach from the Chamber of Commerce, the Virginia Beach Business Roundtable and Virginia Beach Vision,have come out against the city holding a referendum on a light-rail project, arguing it's a decision the City Council should make.

These groups represent real estate, development, retail and hospitality interests, and their efforts help to increase home values in the area.

"The comments mark the unofficial start to a debate sure to rage for at least a year while Hampton Roads Transit, the region's transportation agency, carries out its light-rail feasibility study.

In 1999, Beach residents derailed light rail 56 to 44 percent in a referendum. City referendums are nonbinding, but the City Council used it to guide its 1999 decision.

The city is in the final stages of buying a 10.6-mile rail corridor from Norfolk Southern for a possible light-rail project that would connect to Norfolk's system. Next week, the city's development authority will vote on spending $5 million to acquire the vacant Circuit City property near Town Center for a potential station."

Read full story.

Posted on Saturday, July 18, 2009 - 4:05pm