Norfolk building last to be demolished for light rail
Written by jrood
Norfolk, Va., Moose Lodge 39 on Kempsville Road was knocked down to make way for The Tide light rail project, The Virginian-Pilot reports. The giant jaws of a piece of heavy machinery tore away at the building piece by piece this morning shortly after 10 a.m.
The site will be
converted to a free park-and-ride lot with 266 spaces for commuters, with a
portion of the land to be used for bus service related to the project,
according to Hampton Roads Transit. The lodge has relocated to a building at
The Gallery at Military Circle shopping mall.
The lot will have a train
platform and an electrical substation that will convert alternating current to
direct current for the light rail trains, according to HRT. The substation is
nearly complete.
Seven houses and one
business also were demolished to make way for the lot and station, according to
HRT.
The Tide is scheduled to
begin transporting passengers in May 2011.
Also, Norfolk is celebrating
the re-opening of downtown intersection Granby and Charlotte streets for a
party.
"The irony of that’s kind
of fun," said Cathy Coleman, president of the Downtown Norfolk Council. "It’s
only for a short time for a celebration of major light- rail construction
ending downtown."
Downtown residents have
endured multiple street closings for nearly two years of light- rail work. During
the afternoon rush hour, the intersection of will close for the council ‘s
final Hard Hat Happening, a happy hour aimed at helping restaurants hurt by
light rail and other construction.
