Norfolk Light Rail and Transit

[rusthebuss]

Also if you went to www.hrtransit.org and look at the trains on the site you will know exactly what they will look like

[PeninsulaKiddo]

It reminds me a lot of the transit they had when I lived in Germany and is very similar to what ALL the major German, Dutch, and Belgian cities have. For me, I could ride a heavy rail train from Ramstein (town where I lived) 10 miles to Kaiserslautern, switch to go to Mannheim (big city) and ride around on their light rail. It was an efficient, cheap, and convenient system and I PRAY that Norfolk/VB/Portsmouth and other local area cities can make something like that work.

PS: Southside drivers are evil. I never drove (myself, personally) on the southside until today... and dear sweet Lord. I was sure my life was going to end about 60 years too soon.

[rusthebuss]

Hey now I'm a southside driver that drives to your side. Muhahahaha

Edited November 29, 2005 by rusthebuss

[PeninsulaKiddo]

Hey now I'm a southside driver that drives to your side. Muhahahaha

I'm a teenage driver so I'm inherently bad! But I didn't actually drive in Norfolk, so this is a little off-topic (aside from I-64). The Virginia Beach drivers on 264 are frightening. They probably thought the same of me, though.

[vdogg]

I'm a teenage driver so I'm inherently bad! But I didn't actually drive in Norfolk, so this is a little off-topic (aside from I-64). The Virginia Beach drivers on 264 are frightening. They probably thought the same of me, though.

You mean 90 mph lane changing on a crowded freeway minus turn signals isn't for you? It was frightening when I first drove here and I was 20 at the time. You get used to it though. When all else fails ride the shoulder.

[rusthebuss]

You mean 90 mph lane changing on a crowded freeway minus turn signals isn't for you? It was frightening when I first drove here and I was 20 at the time. You get used to it though. When all else fails ride the shoulder.

You might have seen me! My wife holds on the oh sh!t bar when I drive. Her parents won't ride with me!

[PeninsulaKiddo]

You might have seen me! My wife holds on the oh sh!t bar when I drive. Her parents won't ride with me!

HAHAHA! I was driving with my friend Cate and she was allll about the "oh sh!t bar"!!

[willy]

BIG NEWS!

Mayor Fraim is planning a news conference today to speak about the LRT project. Norfolk just purchased the Norfolk Southern rail line for $3 million +. Norfolk now owns the roughly 5 mile line, which will make way for the LRT system. Construction is to start by '07!!

Edited December 1, 2005 by willy

[vdogg]

BIG NEWS!

Mayor Fraim is planning a news conference today to speak about the LRT project. Norfolk just purchased the Norfolk Southern rail line for $3 million +. Norfolk now owns the roughly 5 mile line, which will make way for the LRT system. Construction is to start by '07!!

This is great news, and with construction only taking 1 year LRt should be up and running by 08' (when the Hilton is finished).

[vdogg]

Where did you find this? I can't find it in the pilot.

[willy]

Me either. I can't even find it on WAVY and that's where I heard it. Actually I first heard it of FOX43 at 10, but can't seem to find it anywhere.

[willy]

LRt should be up and running by 08' (when the Hilton is finished).

Hopefully by then construction will have started on the Kotarides tower, Brambleton tower, and who knows what other tower.

[rusthebuss]

I heard it on the news last night about the mayor having a press conference on the purchase of the right away from NS. I'm greedy, I want to start to hear about the possible expansions now!

[br0guy]

BIG NEWS!

Mayor Fraim is planning a news conference today to speak about the LRT project. Norfolk just purchased the Norfolk Southern rail line for $3 million +. Norfolk now owns the roughly 5 mile line, which will make way for the LRT system. Construction is to start by '07!!

Yes, yes, yes!!!

Did they mention where and what time the conference would be held? 3 million plus... not bad, considering what Norfolk Southern wanted initially for the line.

[br0guy]

Hopefully by then construction will have started on the Kotarides tower, Brambleton tower, and who knows what other tower.

The Kotarides project has been on the low for a while now. I'm wondering if the light rail cutting through the property, and the need to keep downtown parking in check has pushed this back ?

[willy]

Well, in that article it stated that it would take at least 18 months before construction started. I think the article came out in the summer so we are still in good shape.

Edited December 1, 2005 by willy

[lil-bear]

So this means that Norfolk will be building a new library. Since the proposed path cuts right through the Kirn site. I know that the city had originally planned to build a new library at the greyhound site, but the GSA issue has probably nixed that plan. I think they might build the new library somewhere on the Downtwon Plaza site!

[urbanfan]

The Kotarides project has been on the low for a while now. I'm wondering if the light rail cutting through the property, and the need to keep downtown parking in check has pushed this back ?

Originally, when the project was low rise the LRT project was going to slice between the properties. Now that Kotarides is building one tower, HRT can't do that any more. However, that has already been taken into account and now the plans for light rail stay on the streets, which means that they have a sharper turn at the development now. Kotarides has already been taken into acount by HRT therefore LRT will not affect the timetable for the project.

[hoobo]

Originally, when the project was low rise the LRT project was going to slice between the properties. Now that Kotarides is building one tower, HRT can't do that any more. However, that has already been taken into account and now the plans for light rail stay on the streets, which means that they have a sharper turn at the development now. Kotarides has already been taken into acount by HRT therefore LRT will not affect the timetable for the project.

I know it would have killed ground-floor retail (and it may not even work if the garage ramp could not be moved assuming the building is built on a garage), but would a LRT station within the building have worked structurally and geotechnically?

This edit is after vdogg's response: I forgot that that Kotarides is a residential development. Would the noise also be a factor?

Edited December 1, 2005 by hoobo

[vdogg]

I know it would have killed ground-floor retail (and it may not even work if the garage ramp could not be moved assuming the building is built on a garage), but would a LRT station within the building have worked structurally and geotechnically?

Isn't the beginning of LRT actually a station in a building? (12 story building depicted earlier in the thread) If it can work for that I don't see why it couldn't work for Kotarides.

[vdogg]

Not much but it's something. LRT closer to reality

Also here. Norfolk puts light rail on fast track.

[br0guy]

Not much but it's something. LRT closer to reality

Also here. Norfolk puts light rail on fast track.

Hmmm... WAVY reports the cost at "over 3 million," while WVEC has it at 207 million... big discrepency.

[vdogg]

Hmmm... WAVY reports the cost at "over 3 million," while WVEC has it at 207 million... big discrepency.

I noticed that. I'm pretty sure that 3 million is the cost to buy the right of way and 207 million is total project cost at build out.

[urbanfan]

Hmmm... WAVY reports the cost at "over 3 million," while WVEC has it at 207 million... big discrepency.

If HRT payed 207 million I would flip, considering the cost of the whole project is 280 million. Doesn't leave much room for actually costructing things. The three million is more accurate.

[vdogg]

Well, in that article it stated that it would take at least 18 months before construction started. I think the article came out in the summer so we are still in good shape.

It also stated this in that article "The project was first proposed in 2003 as two seven-story apartment buildings. Now the developer has an agreement with the city to refine the proposal over the next four months and negotiate the sale of the land." And according to this caption on the article "Source: Virginian - Pilot Publication date: 2005-06-08" Maybe we'll be hearing something soon . It's way past 4 months from the date of that article and it would be awfully nice to have a rendering. I'll have to check design review committee archives to see if anything came through that we missed.

Edited December 1, 2005 by vdogg