Virginia
Written by jrood
Virginia's first light-rail system opened to the public at 6 a.m., Aug. 19 and will begin carrying paying customers on Aug. 22, 2011.
Deputy Federal Transit Administrator Therese McMillan participated in
the opening of The Tide, which will improve access to jobs and numerous
educational, medical and entertainment destinations in downtown
Norfolk. She joined Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, Norfolk City
Mayor Paul D. Fraim and Virginia transportation officials at the
opening.
"As the citizens of Norfolk and the Hampton Roads region
will soon discover, when light-rail comes to town, wonderful things
happen," said Deputy Administrator McMillan. "New housing, retail and
business opportunities spring up in neighborhoods served by new transit
routes, traffic congestion declines and household transportation costs
go down."
The 7.4 mile Tide Light Rail serves 11 stations between
downtown Norfolk and Interstate 264, one of the region’s most heavily
traveled corridors. The system is operated by Hampton Roads Transit and
connects to an extensive network of bus routes that serve a population
of 1.3 million in Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk,
Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach.
The Federal Transit
Administration approved a $232 million Full Funding Grant Agreement for
the project in October 2007. An additional $32.8 million in federal
funds and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act helped complete the
project.
To help kick off opening events, HRT will offer three
days of free introductory service starting Friday, Aug. 19 through the
20th and 21st. Fare collection then begins on Monday, Aug. 22.
