NSU to allow access for light-rail work

NORFOLK

Norfolk State University will grant access to its campus today so construction of the city's starter light rail can proceed on schedule.

NSU is at odds with the city and Hampton Roads Transit over the $232.1 million rail line that skirts the campus.

Work would have been suspended today - causing costly project delays - unless NSU gave contractors use of a sliver of land needed to continue building the tracks.

"We're working it out so a work stoppage is not necessary," NSU Rector Bobby Norris Vassar said.

Vassar said the university is providing "right of entry" and has not yet agreed to grant permanent easements or land transfers for the project.

He said those will be negotiated later along with other concerns NSU has with the project - primarily campus security, the placement of a rail maintenance yard within sight of the president's campus home, and the loss of some student parking.

"We believe we won't have any problem working out the details with the city," Vassar said.

City manager Regina V.K. Williams said, "This will allow the contractor to keep working while we work on the other issues."

The light rail line will run 7.4 miles, from Eastern Virginia Medical Center to Newtown Road, passing through downtown and along an existing freight rail corridor parallel to Interstate 264. It will have 11 stations - two of them near NSU - and is projected to carry 7,130 to 11,400 passengers a day.

Contractors have started building the elevated section of the track from Harbor Park to NSU.

While the tracks are not actually on NSU's campus, the school needs to grant several easements and land transfers in order for it to be built as planned. HRT officials said the rail line can be built without the approvals, but the adjustments could prove costly.

The Federal Transit Administration is providing $128 million to build the system. The city has dedicated $33 million, and the state has contributed $31.9 million. About $39.2 million is coming from other federal sources.

The city is responsible for any cost overruns.

Already, the city and HRT have made several changes to the plan to accommodate NSU's concerns. A station at Brambleton Avenue has been relocated from the east side of the road to the west side, placing it farther from campus. Architectural enhancements have been made to the maintenance yard. And a sidewalk leading into campus from a station at Ballentine Boulevard has been eliminated.

The alterations "indicate a strong willingness to work with us on our concerns," Vassar said. "We're very pleased this is happening, but we still have a few more concerns."

He declined to elaborate, saying the issues still need to be aired with officials.

Staff writer Harry Minium contributed to this report.

Debbie Messina, (757) 446-2588, debbie.messina@pilotonline.com