NORFOLK – Full light rail service will resume Wednesday, Jan. 4, after repairs to a broken water main on Monticello Avenue at MacArthur Center were substantially completed over the holidays.The disruption forced Hampton Roads Transit Rail Operations and Maintenance to shut down the overhead rail power and establish a temporary bus bridge for light rail customers between the Harbor Park and Eastern Virginia Medical Center / Ft. Norfolk stations.On Dec. 14, HRT Department Engineering and Facilities was alerted to movement of concrete along the eastbound track that was later diagnosed as a broken water main which had eroded the ground underneath the track. Norfolk Department of Utilities shut off the water and contacted Bridgeman Civil, their on-call contractor, to make the repairs. It was found that an area 8 feet wide by 13 feet long by 3 feet deep had washed out from under eastbound track.Once the water main was repaired, dirt mixed with concrete was placed under the track to backfill the area and ensure that the ground under the track was firm. Once this was completed, workers spent several days placing concrete around the track and restoring Monticello and some brick sidewalk.
“We want to thank Bridgeman Civil, STV, and the City of Norfolk’s Public Works, Utilities and Transit departments for their tireless work in making the repairs that allowed us to restore service. We’re ready to get back to moving people on The Tide.”
William Harrell, President, and CEO of HRT