Train Traffic Poses Problems in Suffolk

By Alicia P.Q. Wittmeyer, Daily Press, Newport News, Va.

Jun. 21–SUFFOLK — Unless the city does something to prepare, increased train traffic through Suffolk from a South Hampton Roads port scheduled to open in November could lead to snarled roads and longer wait times at crossings.

The City Council got its first official look at a report by the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission on the increase in train traffic expected to be generated by the new APM Terminal Port scheduled to open in Portsmouth in September.

The trains that will be traveling through Suffolk are expected to be 7,000 feet long, and could hold up some crossings for as long as nine minutes at a time, said Dwight Farmer, deputy executive director of transportation for the commission. The city has 40 train crossings, most of which are located near downtown.

Long term solutions for the crossings, which include flyovers and underpasses, would cost the city more than $250 million, Farmer said. Shorter-term fixes, like improved signage and gates, would cost just under $1.4 million.

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