The Virginian-Pilot
©
CHESAPEAKE
Less than three months ago, the City Council voted 8-0 to pursue a study on the possibility of extending light rail to Chesapeake. The council was told that the federally funded study wouldn't cost the city a dime.
Now, city officials say the $1.75 million study would require a 20 percent match, which could amount to $350,000 in non-federal money.
Some council members now say they want no part of the study this year.
"I voted to do the study when it was at no cost to us," Councilwoman Debbie Ritter said.
The light-rail study could generate lively conversation at Tuesday's council meeting, where the group may decide whether to pursue the study this year. The deadline for requesting $1.4 million in federal dollars is Feb. 28.
Some council members say they do not want to permanently dismiss the study on Tuesday.
"Let's not close the door right now," said Councilman C.E. "Cliff" Hayes Jr., a liaison to Hampton Roads Transit.
At least one council member admits her concerns are influenced by recent revelations about Norfolk's light-rail project. The cost of that project has risen to $338.3 million, 46 percent more than original estimates. "Any time a project is almost 50 percent over original estimates, and all the issues they've gone through..." Ritter said. "Couple that with Chesapeake's road needs. I think it bears another look whether this is the time we want to commit even to studying this."
The study would explore whether light rail could be extended to the city's South Norfolk or Greenbrier areas. A similar HRT study in 2002 found that the cost of a Chesapeake rail system ranged from $310 million to $500 million, and that none of the Chesapeake options were projected to have sufficient ridership.
But the Greenbrier area is growing fast, and council members were curious if that growth amounted to increased ridership projections since 2002.
Hayes hopes there will be no final vote Tuesday on the fate of the study and doesn't want a decision to be made based on problems with Norfolk's light-rail project. "Let all that go," he said. "We're not even talking about light rail coming or not coming. We just want to conceptually understand if it's something we want on our radar."
Mike Saewitz, (757) 222-5207, mike.saewitz@pilotonline.com
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I Love my vehicle too
I would not mind LRT, but, there is to much urban sprawl in the entire HR area for this to truly work.
Please keep it out of Chesapeake. This should not even be a twinkle at this point in the City of Chesapeake.
Once again. How do you get to the transit point? Drive? Park? Where?
How do you get where you want to be after you get to said point?
Especially in Chesapeake.
Besides, point being, all cities are in a black hole now.Clean up past mistakes before beginning a new one. Please.
I love my vehicles!
As a young child living in a City of 7+ million I could not wait to grow up and earn enough to buy a car so as not to be restricted by bus and train schedules. Now as I am older driving into big Cities (NYC,DC etc)is a hindrance but "WE" are not a big City! The easy solution here is to see how many people use the present project when it is finished. The fact that 80% of the traffic downtown is tunnel based makes me wonder.
Lyndsey Vonn stripped
of gold medal. Olympic officials claim light rail is going downhill faster.
Hey SUSAN
Hey Susan, since there are no jails in the Greenbrier area yet, will you support building a jail near the light rail since there will be more crime with inner city thugs being around?
I really think...
your posts are just trolling.
No one could purposely be like you.
Thanks batgeek
for pointing out the obvious. It's amazing how long Portworker and company were feeding the troll.
better in the light
Sorry that we had to see such, but don't you think it is better to have such representatives in the sunshine?
Brick walls are happier.
Smile.
I suspect the point of those posts were to get someone upset that they posted regretable words so then "I told you they were ...."
Keep praying for us all.
Jax9000 sounds as radical as Beck
Jax9000 ranting that if you support light rail your cutting education. Sounds like Beck when he says we cant afford Goverment Health Care, were spending too much..
Jax9000..some of us who support Light Rail actually support a signficant increase in the Education Budget (nearly double the current budget) including a huge pay increase (44%) for teachers. We will pressure our Councils to support these increases and Light Rail. Simply do small cuts (15-20%) in the bloated budgets i.e. Public Safety..various types of small across the board tax increases and Businesses need to do their share through tax increases.
I like to,
I like to, for lack of a better term, write so that an analogy can be drawn. I used to use the old P.T. Barnum line...or Jack Nicholson's line.."Woo..we got a live one here..But..I digress.
My "analogy" succeeded and I thank you for your "commentary"!
Ok..back to ranting and raving! Best wishes to you!
Well..
..we can agree to disagree! Unless you have re-written the Constitution on that part!
I am fearful of the educational cuts being forced upon the area, while Richmond and Washington conduct "politics as usual"!
As to increases in teachers pay-I say Yes!!
As to "small cuts (15-20%) in the bloated budgets i.e. Public Safety" and then "small across the board tax increases and Businesses need to do their share through tax increases"..may I ask where the onus of revenue will come from?...where and what Public Safety programs do the propose cuts begin with? Police, Fire, traffic lights? Taxing businesses?
Maybe LRT is a good idea, but right now, maybe its best to put it on hold? Will it be a "sustaining" form of income for the area? Will it incur cost overruns such as Norfolk? Will it provide jobs for operators and techs as well as security and maintenance persons over a period of time to pay for it?
As to your comment on sounding "radical as Beck"...if you knew me, it would amuse you to know I am nothing like him or his ravings!
I like to, for lack of a better term, write so that an analogy can be drawn. I used to use the old P.T. Barnum line...or Jack Nicholson's line.."Woo..we g