PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) – There’s a lot of talk around here about improving roads connecting the Peninsula to the Southside, but while sitting in traffic have you ever just wished you could take a boat?
That could become a possibility — again.
It’s been nearly seven decades since VDOT stopped providing ferry service between the Peninsula and the Southside with the opening of the HRBT. Then, the MMMBT joined with the James River Bridge to provide three road crossings between the two land masses.
But with our region’s population continuing to increase, and the push for the region to work together more, there could be a fourth crossing — by ferry — in the future.
An initial feasibility study conducted by Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) found that between 150 and 235 passengers could be expected to use the ferry between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. on weekday mornings. This was determined by a route traveling between downtown Newport News, preferably near the shipyard, and Waterside in Norfolk. That one-way trip would take roughly an hour to complete.
Like the Elizabeth River Ferry, these numbers are calculated with only people in mind. It would not include ferries that carry cars. Thomas Becher with HRT said while an attempt to provide a similar service in the past didn’t work, the region’s population increase prompted this new look.
A final report on this study is expected to be completed by the end of this month.
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.
