NORFOLK, Va. — For sailors navigating congestion along Interstate 564, getting onto Naval Station Norfolk and finding parking can be a challenge, but for sailors traveling in, there are other options.
The Base Express is offering an alternative, helping sailors and civilian employees get around the installation while reducing the need for additional vehicles on base.
Launched four years ago, the Base Express, operated by Hampton Roads Transit, provides transportation both within the installation and from the nearby Naval Exchange into the base. The service has already reached almost a quarter of a million riders, exceeding Hampton Roads Transit’s original projections.
Steve Jones, the Community Plans Liaison Officer with Naval Station Norfolk, said the service has improved access to the installation while helping address security concerns and traffic congestion.
“With the Base Express, we've eliminated a lot of the security concerns there, so it's a safer aspect for access on the base, and we're reaching more of the people,” Jones said. “And the Blue Route does a circulator, which we had none of that before.”
The service operates routes that help sailors travel between their barracks and work locations, including the piers, where parking can be especially difficult.
Caleb Smith with HRT says the Base Express gives sailors and civilian employees a reliable way to get where they need to go without having to find a parking spot near their destination.
“If you've been to the Naval Station or really any naval installation, you know that parking can be difficult,” Smith said. “So the sailors and other civilian employees can rely on this. They know it gets them where they need to go from their barracks all the way to the piers and back.”
The service also offers a potential way to reduce the number of vehicles traveling along Interstate 564. Sailors can use Hampton Roads Transit to reach the Base Express for free through the agency’s Transit Incentive Program.
Smith thinks the option can also help sailors save money on transportation, particularly as gas prices fluctuate.
“We know how much gas prices are right now, and so we know the sailors can save a lot of money by utilizing the service,” Smith said.
Looking ahead, officials hope to expand Base Express service to the east side of the installation, where some sailors currently face long walks to reach essential facilities.
“We do not have any service to the east side of the base, and some of those sailors that are in housing over there are walking, you know, 1.5, 2 miles to get to the galley,” Jones told News 3.
An expansion could provide those sailors with more convenient access to dining facilities and other destinations on base.
For now, the Base Express continues to provide an alternative to driving and parking at Naval Station Norfolk, with officials looking at ways to build on the service’s first four years of ridership.
To learn more about the Transit Incentive Program, click here.
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