The City of Petersburg has been selected by the Federal Highway Administration, Virginia Department of Transportation, Virginia Association of Counties and the Federal Lands Access program to receive $619,165 of federally programmed funds for the City’s trolley project. The funding is for three trolleys and operating assistance to provide trolley service from the South Side Depot to the Petersburg National Battlefield.
“This project supports the vision and commitment to the revitalization of the Petersburg economy”, comments Mayor W Howard Myers. “It is a positive display of support by the federal government, in support of the City’s downtown and cultural tourism, which are the strongest assets for our community to attract visitors and add revenue.”
“The selection of the City’s trolley project will provide public transportation access to the National Park Service federal land and Petersburg’s historic resources,” comments William E. Johnson, III, City Manager. “This is indeed an effective economic development strategy.”
The service will begin at the South Side Depot (5 River Street) and travel Route 36 to the Eastern Front Visitor Center, on to the Siege Encampment Exhibit, Fort Stedman, the Crater and finally back to the South Side Depot every 30 minutes between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The expected start date will be July 2015 once the South Side Depot has been renovated for the National Park Service contact station.
“The cumulative effect of a trolley program is a dynamic project,” says Dironna Moore Belton, Petersburg Area Transit’s General Manager. “This project will have the same impact on Petersburg as a large scale transportation project”.