Input sought for Norfolk Naval Station LRT

Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) has scheduled three meetings in September to solicit public input on extending The Tide light rail transit to serve Naval Station Norfolk (Va.), including options to such a plan.

Persistent road congestion in and around the naval base is spurring public interest in this particular LRT extension proposal, in contrast to the warming but still sluggish public support for extending The Tide into neighboring Virginia Beach, Va. 

The Naval Station Norfolk Transit Extension Study will evaluate transit options, including bus and light rail. Hampton Roads Transit says the study also will look at transit needs for places like Old Dominion University and commercial districts Norfolk.

“During the initial public workshops for the study in June 2013, participants helped to identify the travel needs and mobility problems in the City of Norfolk and the base,” HRT says on its website. “This set of workshops will build upon the needs identified in June to start creating possible transit corridors to solve those needs. These workshops highly interactive workshops will be predominantly lead by the community participants.”

Those unable to attend any of the three meetings can offer input online.

Service on The Tide began Aug. 19, 2011. The Tide employs Siemens S70 light rail transit equipment over its 7.4-mile route.