Virginia Beach nears a deal for old Norfolk Southern rail line
Written by jrood
Virginia Beach, Va., city officials said that they've struck a last-minute compromise with the state to complete a $40-million deal to buy an old rail line for a possible light rail project, The Virginian-Pilot reports. The city expects to close on the 10.6-mile corridor owned by Norfolk Southern later this month.
Until Sept. 7, city
officials were fretting that state officials might require them to commit to a light
rail project to get a $20-million state grant for the rail line purchase. This
would have put in an awkward position many City Council members who say they
are waiting on completion of an ongoing transportation study before taking a
position on light rail.
It also leaves the door
open for a referendum, which a majority of council members have said they
support. Voters rejected light rail in a 1999 vote. The City Council has not
taken a stance on it since.
Under the agreement with
the state, to get and keep the $20 million, the city must use its "best efforts"
to pursue light rail. Alternatives, such as a bus rapid transit system on the
line, would be temporarily allowed as long as light rail remains the long-term
goal, city attorney Becky Kubin told the City Council.
Council members, who are
scheduled to vote on the issue next week, largely praised the agreement.
"We are extraordinarily
close," Councilwoman Rosemary Wilson said. "We don’t want to lose the ground we’ve
covered."
Under the 2009 agreement to
buy the corridor paralleling Interstate 264 between Newtown and Birdneck roads,
the state will put in $20 million, the city will pay $10 million, Hampton Roads
Transit will contribute $5 million and the remaining $5 million will come from
a utility easement on the property.
