The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
An infusion of federal economic stimulus money will help Hampton Roads Transit build a $69.3 million campus on 18th Street to replace its aging administration and bus maintenance buildings.
The transit agency's South Hampton Roads operations will be consolidated at the 10-acre site, freeing its Monticello Avenue office in an old Cadillac dealership for new development.
"This is stuff that's been long overdue," HRT President and CEO Michael Townes said.
The administrative office is outdated, inefficient and overcrowded, Townes said. Plus, light-rail operations are projected to start in Norfolk later next year, placing more demands on the space.
The main bus operations buildings on 18th Street are more than 100 years old and were built for streetcars. Not only are they decrepit, Townes said, but the only way to maneuver a large bus inside the bays is to fold in the side mirrors and have staff on both sides direct the driver through the narrow opening.
Despite many years of planning, the project had been on hold because of a funding shortage.
With $14 million in stimulus money for transit, construction can now start in October.
"Being in the right place at the right time has played in our favor," Townes said. "We have a shovel-ready project that will create jobs in Norfolk."
Cheryl Openshaw, HRT's chief project management officer, estimates 200 temporary construction jobs will be created.
HRT, through city allocations, will pay for $4.25 million of the costs. The federal government is contributing $48.5 million, which includes the $14 million in stimulus money, and the state about $16.5 million.
Originally, the project was going to be phased, with the bus operations portion coming first, but the stimulus funds accelerated the schedule.
"We have this need with or without implementation of rail transit," Townes said. "The more efficiently and effectively we run buses, the better overall transit operation we'll have."
City officials are excited that the Monticello Avenue land, which abuts two vacant city-owned properties, will be available.
"It opens up all kinds of development opportunities," Councilman and HRT board member W. Randy Wright said.
"It's all speculative at this point," Townes said. "We have not agreed upon a development plan."
The new HRT complex, at 18th Street and Armistead Avenue, will include a parking deck that separates the bus maintenance facility and the administrative offices.
About 570 employees will work there. HRT has offices and bus operations on the Peninsula as well.
The buildings will meet environmental standards and will include a rain water harvesting component for bus washing.
The bus area will be 63,000 square feet and will include 20 bus bays. The second floor will include 16,000 square feet for dispatch, operations and training.
A separate 15,000-square-foot building will be used for bus fueling and washing.
The administration building will be 36,000 square feet and might include a green roof, which would be partially or completely covered in vegetation.
During construction, bus operations will move to a portion of the vacant Ford truck plant in Norfolk, which HRT will lease. The new bus facility is projected to open in December 2010 with the new administration building to follow in early 2011.
Debbie Messina, (757) 446-2588, debbie.messina@pilotonline.com
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".How many riders will the new building carry?"
About as many as a light rail train.
Get used to it folks. As
Get used to it folks. As long as there is an entity with "HR" in front of it, you may as well bend over and grab your ankles. Welcome to the incompetence of regional government.
METROBUS/FC/HRT GARAGES
Several weeks ago a new bus garage opened in Fairfax County, VA , replacing - in part - a cramped and outdated facility in Arlington,VA. Initially over a dozen METROBUS routes serving parts of NOVA were transferred to West Ox [as this new garage is named] and later this year buses of the FAIRFAX CONNECTOR will also work from this new facility, bringing the combined assigned fleet of buses to @175. Cost of this new garage - $70M! Re HRT, left unanswered is disposition of the Trolley Base near the VB Oceanfront. To close, perhaps, with the VB routes' buses based at the downtown HRT garage, and operating "Not In Service" between 18th St and bus line end points? Or to remain as at present?
Financial Advisers...
For years, have been telling people. That using credit cards, to pay for goods and services, is wrong. But to instead pay cash, to avoid high interest rates. I suppose the people we send to Washington, to represent us. Are exempt from this advise, because they have gone charge card berserk. If I spent more money, than I was taking in, I would probably be outside somewhere, sleeping in a card board box.
69 M ? Really?
"The more efficiently and effectively we run buses, the better overall transit operation we'll have."
I understand the need for updated maint. facilities but how does building a 69 million dollar facility improve the efficiency of bus operations or how effective they are run. Sounds to me that once again we spend the money not because we need to but because we can. There are no commercially available office spaces available to base HRT admin out of ? They could not use an inactive " big box " store to do fleet maint. in? Oh and another word for " stimulus " is " our tax dollars" these are not pennies from heaven we are talking about!
Hire ONLY legal Americans for temporary employment
“ Cheryl Openshaw, HRT's chief project management officer, estimates 200 temporary construction jobs will be created.”
*** Will the 200 temporary jobs be for legal Americans ? We should demand that E-Verification be used by employers when hiring anyone who will receive a paycheck from taxpayer funds ( Stimulus money / Bail-out money). ***
OH goodie!
JUST the thing we needed to spend those tax dollars on. So glad we don't have roadway issues in the area - boy are we lucky! :-^
in order for this to work
The subsidies will continue as long as there is Light Rail and if the Light Rail system ever moves outside of Hampton Roads (Norfolk) the subsidies will grow along with the operating budget deficient. With financial support from outlying jurisdictions, the District of Columbia 2010 operating budget (starts July 1, 2009) is project to fall $73,000,000 short of required revenue, which means cutting, services, payroll, health care, retirement.
The evil of subsidies.
The police station is not "subsidized" as that is a proper function of government. It is supported by taxes as it should be.
Subsidies are a different thing altogether as they are given for the purpose of distorting economic choices. But when we conceal the true cost of anything by subsidizing it with money taken by force from people who do not use the service in order to encourage others to use the service they would not accept at its true cost, both are being fooled into making uneconomic choices. Every time we choose the less efficient and more costly option because the true costs are concealed, the country as a whole becomes less prosperous.
Much of our current economic decline is the sum of all these distortions to the marketplace from the countless incentives and subsidies imposed, with all the good intentions in the world, to guide people to do things rational people would not do.
in order to work
For this or any Light Rail service to work, I believe a full service passenger rail (train) service is required to move people to Rail Stations then Light Rail transfer. For example, the VRE (Virginia Rail Express) runs from Manassas to D.C., Fredericksburg to D.C. (Union Station) and passengers can transfer to the AMTRAC line or the D.C. light rail system at various train stations. Now expand the VRE throughout the Commonwealth from Fredericksburg to Richmond, Newport News, Hampton, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Raleigh, N.C. and Manassas line to Richmond and the western part of the Commonwealth with cross line along Route 460.