Transportation in Norfolk, Virginia

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Located in the southeastern corner of the state, Norfolk is economically and culturally important to Virginia. A variety of transportation modes have developed around the city's importance and somewhat unusual geography.

Contents

Rail

In the late 19th century and the early 20th century, Norfolk was served by three passenger railroads, with destinations in various directions. Norfolk Terminal Station, a union station, served Norfolk & Western trains bound west for Roanoke and other cities across Virginia, and further to Cincinnati, and Norfolk Southern (old company) trains bound for Raleigh and to Virginia Beach. The Virginian Railway was bound for Roanoke and Deep Water, West Virginia. [1] Norfolk Southern passenger service was discontinued by the end of the 1940s. [2] The Virginian Railway passenger trains were discontinued by 1956. [3] The N&W trains ceased using Terminal Station in 1962; the last N&W train, the Pocahontas continued to 1971 at the replacement station.

Today, Norfolk is served by Amtrak at the Norfolk station. The line runs west along the NS/(US460) Southside corridor to Petersburg, then continues to Richmond and points beyond. A high-speed rail connection at Richmond to both the Northeast Corridor and the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor are also under study.

Advent of the highway (1952–1970)

Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel.jpg
Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel

With the dawn of the Interstate Highway System, new highways opened and a series of bridges and tunnels opening over fifteen years would link Norfolk with the Peninsula, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach. On May 23, 1952, the Downtown Tunnel opened connecting Norfolk with the city of Portsmouth. A second parallel tube was built in 1987. The Downtown Tunnel flows in four lanes (two in each direction), carrying a portion of Interstate 264. In 1991, the new Downtown Tunnel/Berkley Bridge complex was completed, with a new system of multiple lanes of highway and interchanges connecting Downtown Norfolk and Interstate 464 with the Downtown Tunnel tubes. [4] On November 1, 1957, the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel opened to traffic, connecting the Virginia Peninsula with the city, signed as State Route 168. The new two-lane toll bridge-tunnel connection became a portion of Interstate 64 by the end of 1957, connecting Norfolk westward with a limited access freeway. A second parallel tube was built in 1976, expanding the access to four lanes. The tolls were removed in December 1976. [5] The two-lane Midtown Tunnel was completed September 6, 1962, supplementing the Downtown Tunnel and the Berkley Bridge. [6] On December 1, 1967, the Virginia Beach-Norfolk Expressway (Interstate 264 and State Route 44), a 12.1-mile-long (19.5 km) toll road leading from Baltic Avenue in Virginia Beach to Brambleton Avenue in Norfolk, opened to traffic at a cost of $34 million. [7] Many at the time[ who? ] believed the project was doomed to fail due to the cost of 10 to 25 cents to access the expressway. Opponents argued that commuters would simply continue to use Virginia Beach Boulevard as the primary route to and from Virginia Beach. The Expressway was a resounding success however, perhaps too successful for Norfolk in that soon thereafter, many more people began to move to the neighboring city of Virginia Beach and commute back to work in Norfolk, a common practice which continues to this day. The tolls were removed on June 1, 1995, and State Route 44 portion of the freeway became signed as I-264 in July 1999.

Roadways

Norfolk is linked with its neighbors through an extensive network of arterial and Interstate highways, bridges, tunnels, and bridge-tunnel complexes. The major east-west routes are Interstate 64, U.S. Route 58 (Virginia Beach Boulevard) and U.S. Route 60 (Ocean View Avenue). The major north-south routes are U.S. Route 13 and U.S. Route 460, also known as Granby Street. Other main roadways in Norfolk include Newtown Road, Waterside Drive, Tidewater Drive, and Military Highway. The Hampton Roads Beltway (I-64 and its spurs I-264, I-464, and I-664) makes a loop around Norfolk.

Long-term plans being pushed by the Raleigh-Durham area's Regional Transportation Alliance call for extension of I-495 northeastward to the Hampton Roads area. RTA's plan envisions the entirety of the corridor from Raleigh to Norfolk receiving a new two-digit interstate designation. This interstate would connect two of the United States' largest metropolitan areas still lacking direct interstate access between each other. [8]

In May 2016, Interstate 87 was approved in North Carolina, opposed to I-44. Virginia's part of I-87 is a part of VDOT and has not been requested.

Local transit

Ferry To Portsmouth PortsmouthNorfolkFerry1.jpg
Ferry To Portsmouth

A bus system and paratransit service are provided by Hampton Roads Transit (HRT), a regional public transport system headquartered in Hampton. HRT buses run all over Norfolk and South Hampton Roads and onto the Peninsula all the way up to Williamsburg. Other routes travel to Smithfield, Virginia. HRT offers a toll ($2) ferry service from downtown Norfolk to Old Town Portsmouth. [9] Additional services include an express bus and dedicated busses for the Norfolk Naval Base and park and ride lots. [10] An express intercity bus system named 757 Express (formerly MAX) connects Norfolk to the other the cities in the Hampton Roads area. [11] A 7.4 mile light rail line called The Tide serves downtown Norfolk and has 11 stations between EVMC and Newtown Road. [12]

Air, bus services, and cruise ships

Established in 1938, the Norfolk Municipal Airport and renamed Norfolk Regional Airport in 1968 and Norfolk International Airport in 1979, Norfolk is primarily served by the Norfolk International Airport ( IATA : ORF, ICAO : KORF, FAA LID : ORF), now the region's major commercial airport. The airport is located near Chesapeake Bay, along the city limits straddling neighboring Virginia Beach. [13] Seven airlines provide nonstop services to twenty five destinations. In ,[ when? ] ORF had 3,703,664 passengers take off or land at its facility and 68,778,934 pounds of cargo process through its facilities. [14] Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport also provides commercial air service for the Hampton Roads area. Chesapeake Regional Airport provides general aviation services and is located five miles outside of the city limits.

Greyhound provides service from the Norfolk Amtrak station [15] and the Ballentine/Broad Creek light rail station. [16] The former Greyhound bus station was vacated by the company and is awaiting redevelopment. [17] Bus services to New York City via the Chinatown bus, Today's Bus, which is located on Newtown road. [18]

The city completed construction in April 2007 of the new $36 million Half Moone Cruise Terminal in downtown adjacent to the Nauticus museum, providing a state-of-the-art permanent structure for various cruise lines and passengers wishing to embark from Norfolk. Previously, makeshift structures were used to embark or disembark passengers, supplies, and crew. [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norfolk, Virginia</span> Independent city in Virginia, United States

Norfolk is an independent city in Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, Norfolk had a population of 238,005, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, and the 95th-most populous city in the nation. Norfolk holds a strategic position as the historical, urban, financial, and cultural center of the Hampton Roads region, which has more than 1.8 million inhabitants and is the 37th-largest metropolitan area in the U.S., with ten cities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hampton Roads</span> Body of water and metropolitan area in the U.S. states of Virginia and North Carolina

Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James, Nansemond, and Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point where the Chesapeake Bay flows into the Atlantic Ocean, and the surrounding metropolitan region located in the southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina portions of the Tidewater Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 664</span> Highway in Virginia

Interstate 664 (I-664) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US state of Virginia. The Interstate runs 20.79 miles (33.46 km) from I-64 and I-264 in Chesapeake north to I-64 in Hampton. I-664 forms the west side of the Hampton Roads Beltway, a circumferential highway serving the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. The Interstate crosses Hampton Roads via the Monitor–Merrimac Memorial Bridge–Tunnel (MMMBT) between Suffolk and Newport News. I-664 is connected to the other major cities of the metropolitan area—Portsmouth, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach—by I-264. The Interstate also has a connection to Portsmouth through State Route 164 (SR 164) and to Suffolk via U.S. Route 13 (US 13), US 58, and US 460.

The Hampton Roads Beltway is a loop of Interstate 64 and Interstate 664, which links the communities of the Virginia Peninsula and South Hampton Roads which surround the body of water known as Hampton Roads and comprise much of the region of the same name in the southeastern portion of Virginia in the United States. It crosses the harbor of Hampton Roads at two locations on large four-laned bridge-tunnel facilities: the eastern half carries Interstate 64 and uses the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and the western half carries Interstate 664 and uses the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel. The beltway has the clockwise direction signed as the Inner Loop, and the counter-clockwise direction signed as the Outer Loop. The entire beltway, including the bridge-tunnels, is owned and operated by the Virginia Department of Transportation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 264 (Virginia)</span> Highway in Virginia

Interstate 264 (I-264) is an Interstate Highway in the US state of Virginia. It serves as the primary east–west highway through the South Hampton Roads region in southeastern Virginia. The route connects the central business districts of Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach and serves as the most direct link between those cities and the resort beaches along Virginia's Atlantic coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berkley Bridge (Virginia)</span> Bridge across Elizabeth River in Norfolk Virginia

The Interstate 264 Berkley Bridge is a double-leaf bascule bridge that crosses the Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River in Norfolk, Virginia, United States. It carries Interstate 264 (I-264), U.S. Route 460 Alternate, and State Route 337 (SR 337) across the river, connecting the Berkley neighborhood south of the river with downtown Norfolk to the north. The toll-free facility is one of only a small number of movable bridges on the Interstate Highway System, and is the first of two in the Hampton Roads region, predating the High Rise Bridge. It is named for the former Town of Berkley that is now a part of the City of Norfolk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Tunnel</span> Tunnel across Southern Branch Elizabeth River in Virginia

The Downtown Tunnel on Interstate 264 (I-264) and U.S. Route 460 Alternate crosses the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River in the South Hampton Roads area of Virginia, US. It links the independent City of Portsmouth with the independent City of Norfolk. In conjunction with the Berkley Bridge, the Downtown Tunnel connects to Interstate 464 to the City of Chesapeake and a continuation I-264 to the downtown and Waterside areas of Norfolk, and on to Virginia Beach. Owned by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), it is operated and maintained by Elizabeth River Crossings under a 58-year public–private partnership concession agreement. Formerly a toll-free facility, open road tolling was implemented on February 1, 2014 by VDOT to help finance repairs and expansion to the tunnel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hampton Roads Transit</span>

Hampton Roads Transit (HRT), incorporated on October 1, 1999, began through the voluntary merger of PENTRAN on the Virginia Peninsula and TRT in South Hampton Roads and currently serves over 22 million annual passengers within its 369-square-mile (960 km2) service area around Hampton Roads. The purpose of the HRT is to provide reliable and efficient transportation service and facilities to the Hampton Roads community. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 6,750,200, or about 25,500 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 464</span> Highway in Virginia

Interstate 464 (I-464) is an Interstate Highway in the US state of Virginia. The highway runs 5.67 miles (9.12 km) from U.S. Route 17 (US 17) and State Route 168 (SR 168) in Chesapeake north to I-264 in Norfolk. I-464 connects two major highway junctions in the South Hampton Roads region. At its southern end, the Interstate meets two major highways that head toward North Carolina, US 17 and SR 168, and I-64, which follows the southern side of the Hampton Roads Beltway. At its northern terminus, I-464 has connections with Downtown Norfolk and Portsmouth via I-264.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in Virginia</span> Overview of land sea and air transport systems in Virginia

Transportation in the Commonwealth of Virginia is by land, sea and air. Virginia's extensive network of highways and railroads were developed and built over a period almost 400 years, beginning almost immediately after the founding of Jamestown in 1607, and often incorporating old established trails of the Native Americans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in Richmond, Virginia</span>

Transportation in Richmond, Virginia and its immediate surroundings include land, sea and air modes. This article includes the independent city and portions of the contiguous counties of Henrico and Chesterfield. While almost all of Henrico County would be considered part of the Richmond area, southern and eastern portions of Chesterfield adjoin the three smaller independent cities of Petersburg, Hopewell, and Colonial Heights, collectively commonly called the Tri-Cities area. A largely rural section of southwestern Chesterfield may be considered not a portion of either suburban area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia State Route 168</span> State highway in Virginia, United States

State Route 168 is a primary state highway in the South Hampton Roads region of the U.S. state of Virginia. It runs from the border with North Carolina through the independent cities of Chesapeake and Norfolk where it ends in the Ocean View area near the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia Beach Boulevard</span>

Virginia Beach Boulevard is a major connector highway which carries U.S. Route 58 most of its length and extends from the downtown area of Norfolk to the Oceanfront area of Virginia Beach, passing through the newly developed New Urbanist Town Center development of the latter as it links the two independent cities in the South Hampton Roads subregion of the Hampton Roads region in southeastern Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in Pittsburgh</span> Transportation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Transportation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is different than in many other major American cities. A large metropolitan area that is surrounded by rivers and hills, Pittsburgh has an infrastructure system that has been built out over the years to include roads, tunnels, bridges, railroads, inclines, bike paths, and stairways; however, the hills and rivers still form many barriers to transportation within the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 64 in Virginia</span> Highway in Virginia

Interstate 64 (I-64) in the US state of Virginia runs east–west through the middle of the state from West Virginia to the Hampton Roads region, for a total of 299 miles (481 km). From the West Virginia state line to Chesapeake, it passes through the major cities of Lexington, Staunton, Charlottesville, the state capital of Richmond, Newport News, Hampton, and Norfolk. It is notable for crossing the mouth of the harbor of Hampton Roads on the Hampton Roads Bridge–Tunnel (HRBT), the first bridge–tunnel to incorporate artificial islands, concurrent with U.S. Route 60 (US 60). Also noteworthy is a section through Rockfish Gap, a wind gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains, which was equipped with an innovative system of airport-style runway lighting embedded into the pavement to aid motorists during periods of poor visibility due to fog or other conditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Norfolk, Virginia</span> Aspect of history

The history of Norfolk, Virginia as a modern settlement begins in 1636. The city was named after the English county of Norfolk and was formally incorporated in 1736. The city was burned by orders of the outgoing Virginia governor Lord Dunmore in 1776 during the second year of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), although it was soon rebuilt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Tide (light rail network)</span>

The Tide is a 7.4 mi (12 km) light rail line in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, owned and operated by Hampton Roads Transit (HRT). It connects Eastern Virginia Medical School, downtown Norfolk, Norfolk State University, and Newtown Road. Service began on August 19, 2011, making it the first light rail system in Virginia. Fares match local bus fares and the line accepts HRT's GO Passes. Trains generally run every 15 minutes, increasing to every 10 minutes during peak periods and every 30 minutes during early mornings and late evenings. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 732,700, or about 2,800 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.

Virginia Beach, Virginia's development is tied to the establishment of a transportation infrastructure that allowed access to the Atlantic shoreline.

The city of Williamsburg, Virginia has a full range of transport facilities. Williamsburg is served by the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport, and by two larger but more distant airports. The city is linked to several Interstate and State highways. A transport hub - the Williamsburg Transportation Center - serves bus and rail passengers. Motor traffic is restricted in the historic area, and the city as a whole is more "walkable" than the US norm. Cycling routes are also being provided.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in Hampton Roads</span>

Historically, the harbor was the key to the Hampton Roads area's growth, both on land and in water-related activities and events. Ironically, the harbor and its tributary waterways were both important transportation conduits and obstacles to other land-based commerce and travel. For hundreds of years, state and community leaders have worked to develop solutions to accommodate both.

References

  1. ↑ 'Official Guide of the Railways,' March, 1958, Virginian Railway section
  2. ↑ Official Guide of the Railways, August 1949, Norfolk Southern Railroad section
  3. ↑ 'Official Guide of the Railways,' October, 1956, Virginian Railway section
  4. ↑ "Hampton Roads Area Interstates and Freeways". Roads to the Future. Retrieved 2007-10-02.
  5. ↑ "Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel". Roads to the Future. Retrieved 2007-10-02.
  6. ↑ "Midtown Tunnel Parallel Tube Project". Roads to the Future. Retrieved 2007-10-02.
  7. ↑ "Interstate 264 in Virginia". Roads to the Future. Retrieved 2007-10-02.
  8. ↑ "Interstate 495 to Rocky Mount—Future I-44 to Hampton Roads". Raleigh, NC: Regional Transportation Alliance. December 14, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Schedules and Service". Hampton Roads Transit. Archived from the original on 2007-06-29. Retrieved 2007-08-11.
  10. ↑ "About HRT". Hampton Roads Transit. Archived from the original on 2007-02-18. Retrieved 2007-08-11.
  11. ↑ "757 Express – Routes – Hampton Roads Transit". gohrt.com. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  12. ↑ Dean, Korie (2021-08-19). "The Tide turns 10: A timeline of the light rail's highs and lows". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  13. ↑ "Norfolk International Airport Mission and History". Norfolk International Airport. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-10-02.
  14. ↑ "Norfolk International Airport Statistics" (PDF). Norfolk International Airport. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2007-10-02.
  15. ↑ "Norfolk Train Station, Norfolk-Virginia Beach, VA | Greyhound bus stop". www.greyhound.com. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  16. ↑ "Norfolk (Ballentine Broad Creek Station), Norfolk-Virginia Beach, VA | Greyhound bus stop". www.greyhound.com. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  17. ↑ Hammiel, Richelle (2021-12-08). "Norfolk seeking proposals to transform former Greyhound bus station". WAVY.com. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  18. ↑ "Today's Bus". Today's Bus. Archived from the original on 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
  19. ↑ "Sleek new cruise terminal set to welcome travelers". Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved 2007-10-09.
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