Portsmouth sees a light-rail hub at its end of the tunnel

Now all we need is an engineer to address residential areas and road crossings and traffic issues. I am so tired of hearing all the reasons why things won't work...what about looking for ways to actually make things work? Isn't that how this great country put a man on the moon? Now we can't even get regional public transportation addressed!

We've got to think as a region; nothing will bring us to gridlock as remaining thinking of our own little cities, no matter how proud we might be of them.

Earlier this week, I was thinking about what a real light rail system might look like. I did some musing which you'll find here on Google Maps: http://tinyurl.com/3be8sv

I started with stations (the dots) and then tried to build the lines. For stations, I went with colleges, military bases, high work concentrations, shopping districts; included park & ride thoughts, too.

My first attempt. Thoughts, anyone?

T McCoy says, "The average light rail trip would probably cost $20 if another Billion tunnel were constructed for it."

First: Where did you come up with that figure?

Second: With gas heading to $4/gal. How much sense does it make to drive 64 during rush hour traffic to get back and forth to work 5 day/week?

Third: What is that sitting in traffic everyday doing to our environment? Is that worth $40/day to you?

Lastly: Calculate in all the damage from traffic accidents, insurance and upkeep into you desire to drive v. rail the rail.

Nothing we do to correct the problem is going to be cheap and procrastination is going to just add the that bill exponentially.

The average light rail trip would probably cost $20 if another Billion tunnel were constructed for it.

"Each one with a regional government, some smarter than others, and independent thinking citizens, some smarter than others."

How many more cars can you put on the road? I see how smart you Beachers are every time I have to drive over there for some reason. First of all there are too many cars and second, most of you have no clue how to drive! Sitting in traffic is the smart thing???? Really???

I was looking at the map trying to find the rural town of hampton roads. But my map must be outdated since I was not able to locate that town. Or maybe there are people here that are so outdated that they do not realize that this area is not hampton roads since that is a waterway, but a region of independent cities. Each one with a regional government, some smarter than others, and independent thinking citizens, some smarter than others. That is why the citizens of VB told it's independent government we do not want to ride the tide of failure. Apparently the pilot is not aware of this fact since they chose to spotlight that incorrect fact. And as I to am censored by the pilot editors, this comment might or might not be published.

So sorry to break it to all the folks in Hampton Roads who choose to ignore that this is no longer a peaceful rural town! Hampton Roads is bustling and so is the traffic. The midtown tunnel needs to have a revamp and the idea of a light rail system is right in harmony with the times. This area is notorious for small salaries and soaring cost of living. Give working class citizens in Hampton Roads a chance. GO LIGHT RAIL AS FAR AS YOU CAN!!!

If telecommuting is cost effective for employers and their employees, it should not need a taxpayer funded subsidy, or tax favoritism, to be used.

My wife, a medical transcriptionist, works from home for a hospital in Richmond. The savings we gain from her not having to commute (not to mention in wardrobe and other costs of working in an office environment,) were a factor in her choice of employer. If she were required to go into the hospital to work, she would demand a higher salary, or work for someone else. That is all the financial incentive that should be necessary.

If I could find a way to practice dentistry remotely, I would work from home too. But there are practical limits to which jobs can be handled in this manner, and we should not put government's thumb on the economic scales to favor business where it is practical over those where it is not.

It is never good policy to distort the free market.

I would be happy to park my car in a commuter lot by a light rail station, jump on a train and ride for 25 minutes to get to work everyday.
I would be willing to bet light rail, if planned by someone with half a brain, would catch on quick.

Many jobs could be performed extremely well by telecommuting....and with ip telephony, it could be totally invisible to the customers of many industries/businesses. Even if it was one day a week, it would significantly reduce the consumption of gas and congestion on the roads.

An incredibly expensive to build and maintain light rail from Old Suffolk to P-Town to Downtown and Newtown. Oh, not Suffolk, Western Tidewater...Regional Jail? A tax-payer funded, cross town bussing of gangs and perps unleashed. Then the bus to Town Center, Hilltop, Lynnhaven Mall, the Oceanfront, and their surrounding nieghborhoods. Uh huh...they were saying.... Southeast Virginia has run out of land that is both for sale and buildable. 25,000 people move here every year, flood insurance is skyrocketing, and new homes are being built in the shadows of landfills. Retirement and service industries are going to explode thanks to more snowbirds who are on the way here, realty prices are going to skyrocket yet again due to scarcity, and population numbers will be forced to level off at the absorbtion line and economic darwinism will rule with the invisible hand. Whatever it costs today, double it in five years.

What's faster than the speed of light(rail)? The internet.

The fastest and easiest way to reduce traffic is to lessen the need for driving. Take a look on any local interstate during rush hour traffic and you'll see MOST cars have just one occupant. If those who COULD work from home DID work from home, everyone would win! Former commuters would save money... businesses would save office space...even those who had to commute would win because their commute times would be shorter.

Viable mass transit is years ahead. Telecommuting could start tomorrow.

Would you like to explain why you are censoring me for saying "Hooray?" The angry Obama supporting censor has it out for me. So much for support for the 1st Ammendment from the local paper(unless it aids them). On particular days all of my comments are blocked regardless of how harmless. They do tend to print them when they are called on it.

Would you like to explain why you are censoring me for saying "Hooray?" The angry Obama supporting censor has it out for me. So much for support for the 1st Ammendment from the local paper(unless it aids them). On particular days all of my comments are blocked regardless of how harmless. They do tend to print them when they are called on it.

People in the DC metro area thought the same way people on these post thought, now DC can't survive without it. We need light rail that goes to Virginia Beach the Navy Base, Airport. At least Portsmouth has a little vision. And maybe to Hampton if they can find a way. I'll take the train in a heartbeat. When gas hits 5.00 a gallon people will change. Because gas will hit 4.00 by summer. We won't see gas at 2.00 a gallon anymore. So wake up people mass transit is the way to go not building more expensive roads that will stay clogged up

While it's nice to see Portsmouth hasn't allowed their embarassment over waiting so long to support light rail to stop them from finally moving forward now, their proposal seems ill-considered.

Light rail through the Midtown would not effectively serve many of Portsmouth's residents or employers. It would take a long circuitous route to connect with Old Towne or the Port Centre industrial area. However, there are existing railroad lift-bridges next to Harbor Park and south of NNSY. A light rail spur could extend through Berkley & South Norfolk and then cross over to Portsmouth and approach Old Town from the south before continuing west through the city. If they couldn't come to an agreement with the railroad, they could even build new dedicated light rail bridges near these locations and it would still be a heck of a lot cheaper than a tunnel, and much smarter than trying to change the Midtown expansion plans in the 11th hour.

First, regarding the red herring of sand at Sandbridge, property owners there pay more in taxes than they receive in services, even including the beach replenishment, so they are more than paying their way. Which is more than you can say for either the mass transit or Port interests, who seek to force others to pay in taxes for the infrastructure they desire.

But please explain to me why someone who lives in Sandbridge, or anywhere else in Hampton Roads, pay additional taxes to pay for a driveway for the Port of Virginia or a toy train connecting Portsmouth to Norfolk? Should not the users of that infracsctructure pay for them themselves?

Why should mass transit not pay for itself? If it is not economically viable, that is the marketplace telling us that mass transit is not the most cost effective way to move people around the area. Let the fares reflect the true cost of using the system and let it succeed or fail in the marketplace, which remains the best judge of economic efficiency.

I didn't think Portsmouth 'leadership' cared for anything more than their micro-downtown and the mid-city area. You sure had me fooled!

If only more people could live closer to where they work then perhaps this insane tube and bridge traffic would be greatly eliminated? Then is the second problem related to housing cost or opportunity?

If the residential areas near the workplaces were not such thug magnets then perhaps the area would improve and the workforce would think of moving in and investing? I guess this is more of a culture problem than a simple racial profile.

Lastly, why do we need to drive cars the size of school buses to go to work or the store? And then why are there so many of these huge tanks carrying only one person? And then these people cry about gas prices? Traffic? Too funny.

Light-rail sounds great for long range travel. But for inter-city travel we should look at boosting the number of buses and making them secure. It would take a big change in our lifestyle for light-rail to be used as a local mass transit. And I don't think the average Hampton Roads citizen would choose it over their SUV.

Yes Reid, we are in a foul mood. We're tired of hearing your moaning. Whether you like it or not, the tunnels need to be expanded. Something needs to be done about Sandbridge Rd (be it extending Nimmo Pkwy or redoing Sandbridge Rd or some other alternative) too. I'm surprised you haven't sent me a nasty gram (I am on good terms with HRT and UCAC members). Sorry, but I will never endorse VBTA.