ronsmytheiii
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Posts posted by ronsmytheiii
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From Snow to summer spring:
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You are a bit more optimistic about it than i am. There is still a lot of work to be done on the downtown tracks and stations. MacArthur Center Station and Bute Street are a mess. I foresee it opening first quarter of 2011, definitely.
I would bet the long pole is the LRT maintenance building/yard... too bad it is not done and we could have limited service this summer from Newtown to Harbor Park for Baseball games...
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Expanding the Midtown Tunnel is one of Virginia's two greatest needs for creating more transportation capacity, according to a report released Monday. The state's top priority, said the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials report, is establishing tolls on Interstates 95/395 carpool lanes in Northern Virginia for drivers who don't have the required two passengers in order to ease congestion in the regular travel lanes.
State highway officials are close to committing to a public-private partnership to make the Midtown Tunnel project happen
http://hamptonroads.com/2010/04/report-midtown-tunnel-expansion-high-priority
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Anyone mind a few Virginia Tech photos?
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Construction of a new intersection at Little Creek Road and Tidewater Drive, dredging projects, improvements to the Hague Promenade, a new animal hospital at the Virginia Zoo and a new government plaza area at City Hall would be delayed at least a year. Meanwhile, Williams proposes spending $5 million over the next five years to help fund the expansion of the Chrysler Museum, about $800,000 next year to acquire blighted property in Wards Corner, and $606,000 to design a new facility that would serve as a station to serve light rail and proposed high-speed rail service to the Richmond area.
Her budget does not address light-rail cost overruns. The state has agreed to fund $20 million of a $50 million overrun. Williams said Hampton Roads Transit Director Phil Shucet is working to find federal funding for the remaining $30 million.
http://hamptonroads.com/2010/04/norfolk-budget-plan-would-cut-services-230-city-jobs
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Might be a bit dated:
Norfolk Light Rail Passenger Vehicles$6,400,000
Acquire two (2) light rail passenger vehicles for fixed guideway transit service operated by the Transportation District Commission of Hampton Roads (Hampton Roads Transit).
The project provides transportation access, options and reliability for retail, recreational, and employment purposes, saving time and reducing spatial barriers to economic development activities.
Naval Station Norfolk Fixed Guideway System
New Starts
Complete planning, environmental review and analysis, engineering, design, right of way acquisition, and construction of the Naval Station Norfolk Fixed Guideway System as a New Starts project serving major activity centers with connections to the Norfolk Light Rail System and the Virginia Beach Fixed Guideway System.
The project provides transportation access, options and reliability for retail, recreational, and employment purposes, saving time and reducing spatial barriers to economic development activities.
Intermodal Connector – I-564 Norfolk International to Norfolk Naval$140,370,072
This 2.6 mile project will extend I-564 and freight rail lines from the current terminus to Norfolk International Terminals and Naval Station Norfolk. The purpose of this project is to provide a safe, high-speed, highway and rail connection from existing I-564 to the Norfolk International Terminals and Naval Station Norfolk. This highway link will provide improved access to these vital facilities while reducing vehicular and heavy truck traffic on the adjacent local roadways.
Enhanced access to the piers of Naval Station Norfolk and the Norfolk International Terminals by an interstate highway and freight rail will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the piers allowing additional transfers of goods and services east of the Mississippi River to and from the Port of Virginia.
Intermodal Facility at Harbor Park$2,880,000
The proposed project includes an improved light rail station that would link to a high speed rail facility at Harbor Park in Norfolk, VA. The facility would also include a 300 car per level parking structure for Park and Ride and ballpark patrons. Preliminary footprints illustrate the potential of adding residential or office units to the garage. The development would house a public transit bus transfer station and public open space. There are also plans to incorporate Greyhound buses in the development as well as additional economic development along this corridor.
The Downtown Norfolk area hosts a variety of major businesses to include, financial institutions, a major rail corporation and the federal government. Additionally, the City of Norfolk hosts an extremely large amount of daily work commuters. Adding light rail and an intermodal facility will benefit the Norfolk area as well as provide additional attraction for future business and economic development.
Norfolk Tide Light Rail$5,000,000
The Norfolk Tide Light rail will extend 7.4 miles on an east to west alignment from the Eastern Virginia Medical Center through downtown Norfolk, continuing along the Norfolk Southern right-of-way, adjacent to I-264, to Newtown Road. Eleven stations will be constructed along the route with four park and ride locations that provide access to major areas such as Norfolk State University, Tidewater Community College (Norfolk Campus), Harbor Park, City Hall, MacArthur Center, and the Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. Future extensions of the light rail are planned to extend the service to Old Dominion University and the Norfolk Naval base. The system will utilize a combination of both city streets and the existing rail corridor purchased from Norfolk Southern and will also be served by an enhanced feeder bus network. The TIDE when operational is estimated to carry between 6,000 and 12,000 people per day by 2026. Norfolk is the 36th American city to embark on light rail and the nation’s smallest city to take this large regional step forward.
The Downtown Norfolk area hosts a variety of major businesses to include, financial institutions, a major rail corporation and the federal government. Additionally, the City of Norfolk hosts an extremely large amount of daily work commuters. At the end of the light rail line is the campus of Old Dominion University, Norfolk Naval Station and Norfolk International Terminal. Adding light rail will benefit the Norfolk area as well as provide additional attraction for future business and economic development.
FY2011 not out yet
http://nye.house.gov...§iontree=15,48,57&itemid=176
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I'm sure that in the future, students would take the train to other places such as the Oceanfront, TC, and Williamsburg. The path to ODU may be too dense and compact for LRT.. but wouldn't a single tracked streetcar work? I wish we could build LRT underground from DT to ODU.
Or you can build a single line each way on two parallel streets......one block is not too far, you could run a north bound line on Colley Avenue to 41st street, then meet up with the south bound line on Hampton Boulevard by getting rid of the median (pretty large starting north of 41st street)
Alternatively, have a single track running between the Medical center and ODU campus on Hampton Boulevard and then switch to two lanes north bound, and simply stagger the south and North bound trains. would require a lot of planning and attention though.
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It is not that I do not mind a casino (though not a fan), I just dont want one at Waterside!
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Will city leaders take a gamble and make The Waterside a casino? It's one of the many ideas being suggested for the venue on the downtown Norfolk waterfront.
"The idea is that we've got a jewel on the waterfront. We know that people want to use that jewel. We just want to find out how they can use it with the relevance of the 21st century business opportunities," said Bob Batcher with the City of Norfolk.
No thank you......
http://www.wvec.com/news/Casino-one-of-many-ideas-for-Norfolks-Waterside--91541589.html
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I don't know if IKEA is really a great fit for such a prime downtown location. The traffic impacts of such a store are huge. The stores generate A LOT of car trips (try getting on the light rail with your Ektorp sofa under your arm), and TONS of truck trips (many 53' trailers delivering to the store every day, hundreds of box trucks delivering to homes, people renting u-hauls to go get stuff, etc.). Nearly all IKEA stores are located right next to major highways (and more than one when possible). They prefer suburbs where there's more space or old industrial areas where the trucks won't bother anybody. IKEA would be great in Hampton Roads, but it's not a downtown type of a store.
personally, I think an Esprit store would be a good third anchor, not one around the area or Richmond, but quite urban:
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That is a gem of a small building, will have to go there When I am back.
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With Portsmouth's track record of late, Ill believe it when I see it
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Wow, amazing shots, the TCC one looks professional level!
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I love the old look of liners, much better than the floating wedding cake cruise liners of today:
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Norfolk 1919:
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I'll get some pics when I go to lunch in 40 minutes.
Thanks tel, I would get them myself, but considering I am out in Blacksburg right now it might be a problem.
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guys, can we move this racial talk to the off-topic and focus on LRT updates? And can someone grab some pictures this weekend of new lines/construction since January?
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Here is an image of the orbital inclinations possible from Wallops, now in certain areas oil could still be drilled (at least for the Wallops range, not sure about the DoD/Navy), but the platforms would have to be evacuated during a launch like what happens in Vandenberg:
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Opposition to Off-shore drilling from environmentalist, from Environmentalists, DoD.... and NASA:
Located 50 miles off Virginia's coast, the proposed drilling area is a triangular tract slightly larger than Delaware. NASA is concerned that drilling platforms and other infrastructure will limit the agency's ability to launch rockets from Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore."That area is right in the middle of our launch range," said Keith Koehler, a Wallops spokesman.
State, federal and private investors have poured millions of dollars into expanding the facility in recent years. Dulles-based Orbital Sciences Corp. has a $1.9 billion contract with NASA to start launching rockets from the facility to the International Space Station next year.
Orbital spokesman Barron Beneski said offshore drilling shouldn't hamper the company's plans. Still, he said, all the parties involved need to discuss the matter in greater detail to ensure their plans don't clash.
"It's an issue that we need to take a look at," he said. "We believe there is a way to do this, it just needs to be thought out in advance."
Wallops is also used by the Defense Department, specifically the Navy and Air Force.
Portions of the lease area fall within naval training areas, said state Sen. Frank Wagner, the Virginia Beach Republican who has ushered offshore drilling-friendly bills through the General Assembly. He did not know how much of the area the Navy uses.
http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-local_offshore-drilling_0401apr01,0,2214700.story
Well, oil drilling really isnt that sustainable environmentally or economically anyhow.... Wallops really is the future.
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In a reversal of a long-standing ban on most offshore drilling, President Barack Obama is allowing oil drilling off Virginia's shorelines and considering it for a large chunk of the Atlantic seaboard. At the same time, he's rejecting some new drilling sites that had been planned in Alaska. Obama's plan offers few concessions to environmentalists, who have been strident in their opposition to more oil platforms off the nation's shores. Hinted at for months, the plan modifies a ban that for more than 20 years has limited drilling along coastal areas other than the Gulf of Mexico.
Obama was set to announce the new drilling policy Wednesday at Andrews air base in Maryland. White House officials pitched the changes as ways to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign oil and create jobs — both politically popular ideas — but the president's decisions also could help secure support for a climate change bill languishing in Congress.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100331/ap_on_bi_ge/us_obama_drilling
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Bad News everyone!*
Norfolk's light rail is ahead of schedule and under its $338 million price tag. Philip Shucet, the head of Hampton Roads Transit, briefed Norfolk City Council on the project Tuesday.He told councilmembers that, as of today, the Tide is about a month ahead of schedule.
Notice that there is not word one on The Pilot.
http://www.wvec.com/...f-89437417.html
* call back to the Professor from Futurama
Norfolk Pictures
in Norfolk
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