Norfolk traffic is better now

This brings back some not-altogether-pleasant memories of my days as a resident of Newport News (1980-1983). 

 Every so often a carrier would come up the James River to the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company for a 5,000,000-mile tuneup and refueling, which would keep her in the yard for a year or so.  During that time, most of the crew would be transferred or sent on leave, but well over a thousand would stay with the ship.  Some would live on board the carrier herself, or on board a floating barracks nearby.  The ones who had families, though, would be encouraged to rent apartments in Newport News.  Most of the apartment complexes in town were financed through the FHA, which set the rent rates - and allowed the landlords to change them according to the housing market.  Whenever a carrier came up the river, and several thousand navy people and their dependents started looking for places to live, we non-military apartment dwellers knew we could expect our rent to go up. 

I started at the Mariners' Museum in 1980 at a salary of $13,000 per year.  When I left three years later I was making $14,800 - and the rent on my two-bedroom apartment had gone up about $150 per month during that time.  (Believe me, folks, working in a maritime museum isn't all it's cracked up to be.)  Therein lies one reason why Tilley moved to North Carolina.

When a carrier left Newport News, on the other hand, there was a sigh of relief around the community:  "Now most of the prostitutes will go back to Norfolk where they belong."

I cerainly sympathize with the traffic problems.  The whole Tidewater region seems to be growing in population so fast that the traffic engineers will never be able to catch up with it.  It was bad enough in the early eighties; now it's frequently downright intolerable.  I won't say it's as bad as the traffic in the DC area, but it's moving in that direction.  I used to think vaguely about moving back to that neck of the woods for retirement.  It's one of the most fascinating places in the country to live.  But nowadays I'm not sure a senile old phogey like me could stand the traffic. 

ps1scw wrote:

I'm sure that these fine men and women who boarded these fast ships sailing into harms way appreciate the support you are giving them.

We are not slamming the service people themselves, but the federal and local governments that make the decision to increase a local population by 10 to 30 thousand people within a month without really preparing the infrastructure.  I went through the same problems in Tacoma when the Navy decided overnight to put in a complete carrier battle group.  hour long traffic delays, inflated prices on everything from a can of pop, gas, and rent. (btw, service people got cost of living allowances that the locals didn't).

ps1scw wrote:

I'm sure that these fine men and women who boarded these fast ships sailing into harms way appreciate the support you are giving them.

I was once one of these "fine men" and the active duty sailors I work with everyday agree wholeheartedly with me. It is good having the fleet out and on station and, to tell you the truth, a good portion of those guys and ladies out on the ships are glad to be away from the traffic, too! It also is a good feeling knowing that all the hard work we put ino those ships is paying off and that they are in good material order and combat ready. And, I might add, we do accompany them on occasion to help ensure they remain that way. When the traffic is good, it means we are doing our job.