1374 replies to this topic

[varider]

Do any of you think it would be a good idea to extend 168 or the "Chesapeake Expressway" Southwest into Carolina and have it hoook up wth 95 around Rocky Mt?

[vdogg]

I encourage everyone to take time to fill out this form with regards to the Richmond/HR highspeed rail line. Comments are due by February 11, 2010. HR residents, it is imperative that we voice how much HSR is needed for Hampton Roads, southside in particular. I plan to post this link in all relevant HR forums, but please confine your comments to the transportation thread.

[varider]

Shame on all urban planet members that do not complete the form.

It's a must.

My submission was for Alternative 1: 6 Southside HSR Trains and 3 Peninsula Conventional Trains

Hampton Roads is a major metropolitan region to both this state and this country. Out of 1.7 million inhabitants, over 1.2 million of them are on the Southside. Virginia Beach and Norfolk are the core cities of the region and hold the largest tax bases, have the largest CBDs, and the highest percentage of tourism dollars. We all know that alternative transportation, such as higher speed rail, are a must for a fully functional region. Hampton Roads deserves higher speed rail to connect to the larger economic markets such as DC, New York, Philly, etc. While the Peninsula is still part of Hampton Roads, the wisest choice is Alternative 1 along 460 and into downtown Norfolk. Amtrak only works because you can step off of the train and into a cities Central Business District. Do you think it would be fun to try to ride a train to New York and be forced to disembark in Jersey City? Norfolk and Virginia Beach are in the process of building light rail transit. The downtown Norfok higher speed station would create an intermodal station to connect intercity rail, intercity busses, intracity rail, intracity busses, and intercity ferry service. Tourists could arrive by rail, and in the future, ride LRT to the Oceanfront of Virginia Beach. The largest naval base in the world is on the Southside. Military officials could ride rail from DC and be in Norfolk in a couple hours. Every scenario leads to the Southside alternative being the best alternative.Obviously, 110mph trains would be ideal, but if 90mph trains are needed to bring HSR to the Southside, I'm all for it. For the economic prosperity of Hampton Roads and Virginia, build higher speed rail from Richmond into the Southside of Hampton Roads.

Edited by varider, 28 December 2009 - 04:51 PM.

[varider]

Another point I should have added is the fact that peninsula residents could easily get to HSR by coming down 664 and getting on @ Bowers Hill.

[ronsmytheiii]

Another controversy from HRT:

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NORFOLK, Va. - WAVY.com has learned from several Hampton Roads Transit board members that three HRT employees allegedly embezzled $80,000. HRT's Senior Vice President for Finance and administration told WAVY.com officials alerted auditors after data from bus fair boxes didn't match up with cash deposits.

"In this particular case we suspect it was collusion," said Larry Davenport.

Davenport said HRT officials believe it happened when employees would pick up boxes filled with cash from a vault, then bring them to a money room on the Southside. Those boxes were supposed to be locked.

http://www.wavy.com/...ement-rocks-hrt

[rusthebuss]

We need to cut money till they clean house

[vdogg]

rusthebuss, on 07 January 2010 - 06:01 PM, said:

We need to cut money till they clean house

While that solution sounds appealing, the only folks it would hurt are those that rely on transit everyday. We just need to fire some folks, starting at the top...

[varider]

Yeah, what about the 52,000+ persons who ride HRT daily? You can't cut mass transit funding.

[varider]

http://insidebiz.com...high-speed-rail

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The Future of Hampton Roads Inc., a group of private citizens who promote regional cooperation, is sponsoring a town hall meeting in Norfolk on the future of high- speed rail in the region.

The event will be held Wednesday, Jan. 20, at the Granby Theater in downtown Norfolk, at 5:30 p.m.

"Where will we see high-speed rail in Hampton Roads' multi-modal transportation future?" is the theme of the conference

[varider]

Nothing really important, but I just saw an interview with Gov. Mcdonnell in Norfolk and he said "We need to get HSR built into the southside."

[ronsmytheiii]

Quote

The Virginia Department of Transportation has signed an interim agreement that advances a private-sector proposal to build a parallel Midtown Tunnel and a Martin Luther King Freeway extension. By signing the agreement, VDOT is not committing to building the project yet, just advancing the required preliminary work.

http://hamptonroads....-midtown-tunnel

[varider]

ronsmytheiii, on 12 January 2010 - 12:11 PM, said:

http://hamptonroads....-midtown-tunnel

It reallly, reallly needs transit capability. Oh well.. 10 years later, everyone will look back and be like "Why didn't we put space for LR in the new tunnel.?"

[varider]

http://www.altdaily....pton-roads.html


During the last two Congressional recesses when national government leaders went home, it was the health care question that dominated town hall meetings and congressional presentations.

The second most talked about topic was high speed rail, and the importance of this subject is simply destined to grow, maybe slowly, but also maybe rapidly

[ronsmytheiii]

Excerpts of note from Governor McDonnell's speech:

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Economic growth is also predicated on a modern and well-maintained transportation system, from our roads to rail to ports. There are steps we can take right now to improve transportation in Virginia.

Our rest stops and welcome centers are important for safety and tourism. I’ve asked Secretary Connaughton to schedule a time for the Commonwealth Transportation Board to vote on re-opening the rest stops. We’ll have those rest stops open within 87 days!

We should raise the speed limit in rural parts of the state to 70 mph on major interstates. In 2006 you voted to raise the speed limit to 70mph on portions of Interstate 85. Let’s do the same on stretches of 95, 64, 77 and 81 in our more sparsely populated regions. Thirty-two states already have 70 mph speed limits; Thirteen have 75mph speed limits.

We should also step back and look at the structure and operations of the Virginia Department of Transportation anew.

We have dedicated employees at VDOT, but it is time to conduct performance audits to determine what works, what doesn’t, and what can be done better for less. Delegate Glen Oder and Delegate Scott Lingamfelter are advancing legislation that looks at real structural opportunities to identify both cost savings and also performance metrics on congestion relief and mobility.

Quote

Four years from tonight we will meet here again and look back on our time working together. This is what I hope we can say:

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We seized the opportunities presented to us by our vast natural resources and made Virginia the “Energy Capital of the East Coast.”

Through prioritization, bonding, technology, public-private partnerships, and ingenuity we built new roads and bridges, expanded rail, improved our port and helped Virginians get to work a little quicker.

http://hrblogs.typep...The+Shad+Plank)

Edited by ronsmytheiii, 18 January 2010 - 08:15 PM.

[varider]

A lot of news today.

http://www.wtkr.com/...0,4044589.story

VDOT plans to start construction, in four years, on a plan to widen 564 create a special exit which will take trucks right from I-564 underneath Hampton Boulevard to the base and the port.

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"It will help to relieve congestion going into the Navy base and also to help retain the carrier here and help grow the port," said Pierce Homer, former Secretary of Transportation.

VDOT also plans on expanding I-564, moving it away from the base and eliminating the Naval runway underpass and putting in a flyover across from the base near a landfill. All of this will allow more heavy trucks to use I-564.

[varider]

http://avengingarchangel.blogspot.com/

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As for fast ferry service, a private company wants to operate it as a public-private partnership. A Presentation was given to the TPO, as designation from the TPO is necessary to acquire Federal ferry-designated money. Five destinations are on the radar screen: Norfolk's Waterside, Hampton City Dock, Newport News Victory Landing, and Fort Eustis. Service would begin in 2012 with a single route (probably Norfolk - Hampton), two routes in 2013, building up to 5 in 2015. They had been looking at Naval Station Norfolk, but the Navy Liaison stated Department of Defense regulations would preclude that. (Wouldn't that drop Fort Eustis, too?) Other destinations may later be considered.

My own disappointment was looking at the photos of the vessel: a large cabin below, but I couldn't make out any seating on the deck. I'd love to be up there as the ferry crosses the harbor at 30 knots.

How coool would that be? Ridin' across the Hampton Roads harbor passing nucleur aircraft carriers, the Port and the cargo ships, etc.

[ronsmytheiii]

Image of the ferry type and article from the pilot:

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As money to build roads and bridges continues to shrink, transportation leaders are starting to explore an alternative way to get around - ferry boats. Hampton Roads Transit and a private company are each studying reviving the decades-old concept of ferries to connect South Hampton Roads and the Peninsula.

There are no plans or money to fix the most popular route across the water - the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, which is notorious for miles-long backups at rush hour and during the summer months. So some are turning their attention to water-borne travel, which was the only way to cross the Hampton Roads harbor before the bridge-tunnel was built.

The first two-lane tunnel opened in 1957

http://hamptonroads....-tunnel-traffic

[varider]

I wish someone would just build a Third (or Fourth) Crossing.. I mean I'm all for alternative transit.. but I don't see this fixing our tunnel problems.

[varider]

Hampton Roads on list of top twenty most congested metros.

I-264 near downtown Norfolk is the 18th worst bottleneck in America.

http://www.wtkr.com/...0,6247765.story

[ronsmytheiii]

Quote

Public hearings on a state study of high-speed rail to Hampton Roads will be held this week in Richmond, Newport News and Norfolk. The hearings are Tuesday through Thursday, 5:30 to 8 p.m., using an open house format that includes presentations at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The Richmond hearing is Tuesday at the Department of Motor Vehicles headquarters. The Newport News hearing is Wednesday at the City Center Conference Facilities, 700 Town Center Drive. The Norfolk hearing is Thursday at the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center, One Waterside Drive.

http://hamptonroads....-highspeed-rail

I really wish I werent in Blacksburg, it would be really cool to go to the presentation in the Half Moone Terminal....