THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 11, 1996 TAG: 9607110390
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DEBBIE MESSINA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 49 lines
Tidewater Regional Transit officials Wednesday said they will start work immediately to try to incorporate Virginia Beach's demands into its light rail proposal.
Expanding the light rail routes to Norfolk Naval Base and Norfolk International Airport, as requested by Virginia Beach, will be added during an 18-month study that TRT is asking local cities to endorse, said Jayne B. Whitney, TRT program management director.
Funding to purchase the land for the additional routes will be included in the first phase - the construction phase - of the proposed light rail system, which would run between the Virginia Beach Oceanfront and downtown Norfolk.
Construction of the additional routes would still come in a later phase.
``That's a more complicated alignment because there is no Norfolk Southern rail there that's under-utilized,'' Whitney said.
The Virginia Beach City Council said Tuesday that it would not consider endorsing light rail without the modifications.
The current proposal is to run the Norfolk-Virginia Beach segment along an infrequently used freight corridor owned by Norfolk Southern. Negotiations have begun to purchase that line and lease it back to the railroad for limited use.
There are six proposed alternatives to get commuters to Norfolk Naval Base, all passing through neighborhoods and business communities.
As part of its study, TRT will consider building more overpasses at busy intersections to separate the trains from traffic. ``We will work with the traffic engineering people to make sure we come to an agreement,'' Whitney said.
Incorporating right-of-way purchase for the added routes and adding more overpasses in the first phase of the project will bump up the overall cost, now estimated at $376 million.
Making these changes in the proposal will cause a delay of 60 to 90 days to the light rail approval process. ``I think a compromise was reached on the project that enables us to move forward,'' Whitney said.
From the start, the rail proposal included legs to the naval base, the airport and other parts of the region, including Chesapeake and Williamsburg, but the Virginia Beach council wants to speed up the timetable.
Virginia Beach also wants the Norfolk City Council to approve, by resolution, expanding light rail service to the base and airport in the early phases of the project. ILLUSTRATION: Map
LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT ALTERNATIVES by CNB