THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 30, 1994 TAG: 9409300528
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MAC DANIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines
Starting Monday, you will be able to ride a public bus to and from the Peninsula, for the first time in at least 20 years.
The new service, named ``Crossroads,'' is a joint venture of the Southside's Tidewater Regional Transit and the Peninsula's PENTRAN.
The one-way fare will be $1.50, a little more than a gallon of gas but a lot less hassle. TRT and PENTRAN will throw in a free first transfer.
The ride from Norfolk to Hampton will take about a half-hour. The run from Norfolk to Newport News will take about 45 minutes.
Runs will be made from each side of Hampton Roads, closing a major gap in the region's transportation system.
The Peninsula-bound bus will leave TRT's transfer center at Elm Street and Avenue J just off Chesapeake Boulevard in Norfolk. The bus will provide more or less an express service, although drivers have been told to pick up passengers along the route.
In Hampton, the bus will discharge and pick up passengers at the Hampton General District Courthouse. The bus then will continue to Newport News, where passengers will get off at 28th Street and Washington Avenue.
The new service represents the first time TRT and PENTRAN have looked at the Peninsula and Southside as one contiguous area. Both TRT and PENTRAN hope to get 300 riders per day by the end of first year.
``I think that's do-able,'' said Michael S. Townes, executive director of PENTRAN. ``I don't expect to get 300 people a day the first week or first month.''
Jack Schnaedter, a spokesman for Newport News Shipbuilding, said the new service can only help his company's 20,000 employees reach Newport News.
A recent study found that 14 percent of Newport News Shipbuilding employees live on the Southside; 60 percent live on the Peninsula; 3 percent live near Gloucester; and about 3 1/2 percent live in or west of Smithfield.
This is not the first time such cross-water service has been offered. Years ago, when there were tolls on the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, a Peninsula bus crossed the bridge and picked up Southside residents on Willoughby Spit.
``Ever since that service ended, it's been brought up year after year,'' said Jeff Becker, service development manager for TRT.
Why has this service taken so long to be restored? Townes has no easy answer.
``I just can't speak to why this wasn't an issue,'' he said. ``Notwithstanding the boundary lines of the various jurisdictions, people have to go from place to place. I think this will be a boon for public transit in the region because we become more relevant. And the more relevant we become, the more valuable our services will be.''
The second phase of the Crossroads project will create a route from Newport News, south on Interstate 664 and into Churchland and Chesapeake. The third phase will send buses north to Williamsburg.
The first year of service is being funded by a state grant. After that, the cities of Hampton Roads will be asked to pick up part of the tab. ILLUSTRATION: Staff map/graphic by John Earle, Staff
KEYWORDS: PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION by CNB