THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 27, 1995 TAG: 9501270667
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MAC DANIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Short : 45 lines
The idea of a light-rail line between Norfolk and Virginia Beach surfaced again Thursday as Tidewater Regional Transit kicked off South Hampton Roads' latest transportation study.
Light rail is one of several options the study will look at for relieving traffic congestion on the region's roads. Other options include creating more high occupancy vehicle lanes and adding bus routes.
About 50 people attended a TRT public workshop on the study Thursday at Sentara Leigh Hospital in Virginia Beach.
The study, which will cost about $1 million, is a preliminary step towards getting matching federal funds for transportation improvements. TRT is expected to announce its recommendations by the end of the year.
The study area stretches from Norfolk's downtown to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. It includes the Virginia Beach-Norfolk Expressway, Interstate 264, Virginia Beach Boulevard and the Norfolk Southern Railroad's right-of-way from Norfolk to Virginia Beach.
Traffic congestion on the Virginia Beach-Norfolk Expressway and Interstate 264 has reached serious levels. Both roads received the lowest available grade during a 1993 study of traffic flow.
And with traffic volume on the expressway expected to increase 87 percent by the year 2015, transportation experts say, the region will face a major crunch if it fails to tackle the problem.
Previous efforts to bring light rail to South Hampton Roads failed. In 1988, the Norfolk and Virginia Beach city councils conducted a study of the idea but decided against further funding.
But backers of the TRT study, including Dennis Probst, say times have changed.
``You have to start someplace,'' said Probst, vice president of BRW Inc., a Minneapolis, Minn.-based consulting firm hired to help with the study.
With the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent decision to downgrade the region's air quality, and with traffic congestion continuing to worsen, it's time to reconsider all the options, Probst said.
Anyone who would like to participate in TRT's study can call 461-0647. by CNB