High-Speed Rail Meeting at ODU's Ted on Friday, Oct. 23

A Town Meeting on the issue of high-speed rail for Hampton Roads is being held this Friday, October 23 at Old Dominion University's Ted Constant Convocation Center, featuring an ODU professor as one of the panelists.

The meeting is being hosted by the advocacy group The Future of Hampton Roads, Inc. It runs from 10 a.m. until noon in the Ted's Multipurpose Room.

The event features two keynote speakers, Senior Virginia Senator Jim Webb, and former Gov. Gerald Baliles.

Panelists for the discussion include Ray Taylor, president of Future of Hampton Roads; Gil Yochum, professor of economics at Old Dominion University; Louis Guy, retired director of Norfolk Public Works; and Brad Face, member of the group Virginians for High-Speed Rail.

With the push toward green initiatives to improve the nation's infrastructure, a high speed rail link is planned for the U.S. Eastern Seaboard. Presently, it isn't known whether high-speed rail would stop at Richmond, or go all the way down to Hampton Roads.

Local advocates of the project say it could be an economic boon for a region which suffers from bad traffic congestion, and is facing serious transportation issues around critical infrastructure such as bridges and tunnels in the years ahead.

The event is free of charge and the public is invited. There is free parking in the adjacent parking garages for the event.