Development Projects

The Tide

“The Tide” light rail system is currently under construction. It will extend 7.4 miles from the East Virginia Medical Center through downtown Norfolk, continuing along the Norfolk Southern right-of-way, adjacent to I-264, to Newtown Road. Eleven stations will be constructed along the route with four park and ride locations that provide access to major areas such as Norfolk State University, Tidewater Community College (Norfolk Campus), Harbor Park, City Hall, MacArthur Center, and the Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.

PRTP

The Peninsula Rapid Transit Project (PRTP) is a proposal to provide rapid transit service to the Peninsula region of Hampton Roads and connect major activity centers and points of interest. Major activity centers served by the corridor include Christopher Newport University, Riverside Regional Medical Center, Patrick Henry Mall, Newport News/Williamsburg Airport and Mary Immaculate Hospital.

ACS

The Advanced Communication System (ACS) is a new radio system and an automatic vehicle locator (AVL) system with computer-aided dispatch (CAD) for the fixed-route bus fleet. It is expected, based on other transit agency experiences, that the ACS, now dubbed “The Navigator” will improve the efficiency, safety, and reliability of fixed-route bus operations.

Strategic Plan

The Transportation District Commission of Hampton Roads (Hampton Roads Transit/HRT) is initiating a strategic planning process to outline its future direction. The strategic planning process will result in a guide that identifies our goals, actions needed to accomplish these goals, and a systematic monitoring program to measure our progress. We will engage stakeholders and the general public to help us (policy makers and HRT Staff) understand the agency’s future directions for the next 20 years and recommend time-sensitive objectives along that path.

The Plan will build upon the learning experiences since October 1999 when Tidewater Regional Transit and Peninsula Transit merged to better serve the entire Hampton Roads region. This Plan will serve as the roadmap for the organization’s success as a provider of regional public transportation services with the overall goal of improving the quality of life in the region.

2030 Regional Transit Plan

HRT has completed an update to its 2030 Long Range Transportation Plan. This plan presents rail and bus operating plans, ferry, van pool, paratransit, and facilities service assumptions. The plan includes and builds on the following major elements: An LRT system in Norfolk, fixed guideway service on the Peninsula, growth in fixed route, van pool, and paratransit service, and expanded facilities.