Norfolk – Construction on the new westbound exit ramp for Interstates 64 and 264 will briefly interrupt some weekend light rail service between Military Highway and Newtown Road in June and July.
The service interruptions will take place on the weekends of June 2-3, June 16-17, June 23-24 and potentially the weekend of June 30 to July 2. The work will not interfere with transit service during Norfolk Harborfest, scheduled for the weekend of June 8-10.
There will be no light rail service at Newtown Road during the four interruptions.
Westbound customers will take buses from Newtown to the Military Highway station and then board the train on the eastbound platform. Customers heading to Newtown Road, will exit the train at Military Highway and board a bus to Newtown Road.
The service interruptions will mean that customers who normally use Military Highway, Ingleside Road, or Ballentine Boulevard to travel westbound will board instead on the eastbound platform. Customers are urged to stay alert to train movement when catching the correct train.
Signs will be placed on the westbound platform directing customers to the eastbound platforms. Train operators will make announcements concerning their direction of travel. Trains will merge to the normal track after clearing Ballentine Station.
The shutdowns will begin at midnight Friday during each weekend. Normal service will resume 6 a.m. the following Monday. The work is weather dependent and could be rescheduled if necessary.
The bus transfer is expected to take between eight and nine minutes.
Road crews are making numerous changes to the interchange at Newtown Road including:
- Adding a second exit lane on I-64 West and widening the ramp from I-64 West to I-264 East,
- Introducing a new two-lane, collector – distributor road from I-64 to the Newtown Road interchange and
- Building a new two-lane flyover ramp from I-64 West tying into the existing I-264 East collector road.
As part of this work, a bridge must span a section of the light rail alignment where it runs parallel to Curlew Drive. In order the safely place the steel for this bridge, the power to that section of the rail system must be turned off, necessitating a bus bridge for customers using the trains.
The subsequent closings are needed to place metal deck pans in between girders.
For more information on transit services, visit
gohrt.com