Hampton upgrades 71 bus stops with new shelters, benches and solar lighting on major transit routes

Michael Bowery, public works administrator, updated the Hampton City Council work session on Oct. 26 about a multi-year bus-stop amenity upgrade program done with Hampton Roads Transit (HRT). He said the program has upgraded 71 stops citywide on prioritized routes and feeder connections, adding benches, trash cans, solar-powered lighting and, where right-of-way allows, shelters.

Bowery described four shelter “tiers” used by HRT. Tier 1 includes a 6-by-12-foot shelter with three enclosed sides, a roof, bench, trash can and solar lighting; Bowery said 21 stops received tier 1 amenities. Tier 3 and tier 4 offer progressively smaller roof coverage or partial side walls; two stops have been installed with tier 4 and seven with bench-and-trash-can only options where a shelter footprint was not feasible.

Bowery and staff emphasized that the primary constraints to adding full shelters are available right-of-way and underground utilities. He showed examples where subterranean utilities or narrow sidewalks prevented the larger shelter footprints. “The sidewalk is much larger along this portion of Kecoughtan Road,” he said when explaining why some stops can host larger shelters and others cannot.

HRT and city staff said they have reviewed eligible stops for the current funding allocation (targeting HRT’s backbone ‘RTS’ routes such as Route 101 and Route 114) and are awaiting HRT board discussions about expanding eligible routes and additional funding to extend upgrades to other city areas. The presentation also noted the safety and visibility benefits of solar lighting on shelters and that installations improve passenger comfort and perceived safety at night.

Council members discussed next steps, including how many additional shelters might be possible if HRT expands the eligible feeder list and whether property acquisition or right-of-way negotiations would be needed for priority locations.