Our latest poll is over and 52% of you voted for an expanded bridge-tunnel at the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel to take on the bottleneck. 28% would rather build The Third Crossing to relieve congestion, while 19% like the idea of a high bridge.
With the General Assembly set to reconvene it's Transportation special session on July 9, I poll your support for HB 6028. That's the bill by Delegate Tata and Senator Wagner to bid out light rail in Virginia Beach as a PPTA.
2 comments:
I've had the misfortune of getting stuck in four separate delays at the HRBT in the last two days. Since all four were accidents that blocked the roadway, adding lanes would not have made any difference. (The governor mentioned at his public meetings that the original HRBT tunnel and causeway are about to celebrate their 50th birthday. He didn't indicate that there's any money for it--Pierce Homer, speaking at the MPO meeting, made it sound like there isn't--but they will be slated for renovation and upgrade. A third crossing, on the other hand, provides not only a nearby alternate route during accidents and but diverts traffic during normal times, and would also be a newer and more contemporary facility in the same way that the MMMBT is vastly more efficient than either of the aging HRBT tubes.
I know I'm going to be flamed for this:
I would support tolls (including - if this was legal - a reasonable surcharge on bus fare for routes traveling this, yes I'd pay extra, within reason, for a 30-Day to do this) on an expanded HRBT + a 4th Crossing*
* I call it the 4th since there are aready 3 Southside <--> Peninsula crossings, in order:
- James River Bridge
- HRBT
- Monitor-Merrimack
(could someone explain why it's called the 3rd crossing?)
I read this in the Pilot somewhere (I think it was a user comment about the MLK extension to I-264): it should continue on to I-464 using a rebuilt Jordan. Portsmouth/South Norfolk residents, your thoughts? I used the Jordan plenty of times and gladly paid the $0.75 toll in exchange for getting to Portsmouth quickly during rush hour.
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