NORFOLK, Va. — Hampton Roads Transit wants to make it easier for pedestrians to get around the City of Norfolk.
In a Friday briefing before Norfolk City Council, HRT updated city leadership on the recommendations they have for the future of the light rail.
Two recommendations were brought to the table:
Phase 1: A 2.2-mile light rail extension that's added from Newtown Road and brings riders to Military Circle Mall.
Phase 2: A bus route that brings riders directly to Naval Station Norfolk
With three proposals in place to transform Military Circle Mall, HRT Chief Planning and Development Officer Ray Amoruso said this expansion is needed.
“Two of the three [redevelopment proposals] have a regional arena. So positioning that station is important if you have an 18,000-seat arena and if you’re going to have a mass exodus," he said.
Amoruso added they’re in the pre-application process for state funding for the project, but federal dollars will still make up a majority of where the money comes from.
“Every transit property competes for those funds. They tend to fund the projects with the lowest costs per rider or most riders at lowest cost," he said.
Without any barriers construction for a project of this magnitude wouldn’t start until 2028. An exact cost isn’t known at this time but early estimates are in the hundreds of millions of dollars.