Southside Draft COA Changes

With the draft Comprehensive Operations Analysis (COA) rolled out this week, a look at changes it proposes in South Hampton Roads. Being an expert neither on Peninsula geography nor it's bus routes, I'll let some Peninsula blogger cover them.

SUFFOLK

Routes 73 & 74 - in the long term, would reduce both to on demand services.

VIRGINIA BEACH

Route 25 - would reroute the portion between the PA Road/S. Plaza Trail/Providence Road intersection and PA Road/Witchduck Road/Kempsville Road intersection. The 25 would use Providence Road (east-west) and Kempsville Road (north-south) to serve the Fairfield area.

Me: this one comes down to a trade-off: are you willing to give up the Baxter Road/PA Road area to get Fairfield? I would, but a transit advocate I spoke to wouldn't.

Route 26 - redraws it as a Pembroke East to Lynnhaven Mall route, via Bow Creek, Rosemont Road, and Bonney Road.

Me: this one has been in the pipes since late Spring. The 26 is the least rode of VB's daily year-round routes.

Route 29 - would be split at Hilltop, with the Mill Dam Road deviation eliminated from the northern portion.

Me: splitting the 29 has appeared in a couple previous regional transit studies. When will it actually be done?

Route 36 - would take the Pembroke East - Amphib base section of Route 1 and add it to the 36.

Birdneck Circulator - a new service. It would go out 24th Street from the Resort Area, up Birdneck Road, west on Laskin, up Republic Road, south on First Colonial, east on I-264, then back up Birdneck and out 24th Street.

Me: the TPO's just-approved Non-Driver Report identifies pockets in this area lacking transit service, which the Circulator seeks to serve.

NORFOLK

Routes 9 & 18 - the NSU - Cedar Grove sections would be eliminated. The 18 would then become an every 40 minute service.

Route 4 - straightened somewhat, the portion south of Virginia Beach Boulevard eliminated (plenty of other service in that area), and it becomes a one-way loop.

Route 5 - in the south, it shoots down Tidewater Drive and Little Creek to Evelyn Butts instead of going to Wards Corner.

Route 23 - the segment along Wood Avenue and Front Street is eliminated. In addition, the portion south of Best Square is gone.

Route 15 - the monster of the COA, with the 15 being split. 15a runs Naval Station Norfolk to Amphib base (the 8 is chopped at Evelyn Butts), while 15b is Evelyn Butts to Greenbrier Mall.

PORTSMOUTH

Route 41 - extend service to Cavalier Business Park at peak hours.

Route 44 - eliminate the 44C, and extend the full route down Frederick Boulevard to Walmart.

Route 45 - move the outbound section of the 57 between Victory Crossing and Airline Boulevard to the 45.

Route 57 - in addition to the above, extend the route to Greenbrier Mall.

CHESAPEAKE

The major surgery was in transit-poor Chesapeake.

Greenbrier Mall - all 15s would go there, with the transfer center moved there from Robert Hall. Also, a Greenbrier Connector (circulator) bus would be introduced.

Routes 6 & 13 - their through buses from Cedar Grove to Robert Hall now operate on the same half hour. Stagger them, so most people have a bus (either the 6 or 13) in walking distance every 30 minutes. Also, eliminate 13 service south of Chesapeake General Hospital.

Route 58 - instead of fish hooking to Robert Hall, go down Dominion, Grassfield (including Walmart), then turn onto Cedar Road. Serve both TCC Chesapeake and the Chesapeake Municipal Center before ending at Chesapeake General Hospital.

Me: the idea with the 13 is to take it off the Great Bridge drawbridge, which regularly causes the 13 to miss the lineup at Robert Hall. However, I had a HRT Staffer point out to me that the changes mean taking the 58 across two drawbridges.