(The following article by Tom Shean was posted on the Virginian-Pilot website on December 9.)
NORFOLK, Va. — If they expect to alleviate traffic congestion and resolve other problems, Hampton Roads cities must work more closely with one another, the chairman of Norfolk Southern Corp. told a business gathering Thursday.
Despite some success at resolving conflicts over water use and economic development, “the regional concept still has not taken hold” in Hampton Roads, said David R. Goode, who has headed the Norfolk-based railroad for 13 years.
“Everybody’s going in different directions,” he told more than 200 people attending an Economics Club of Hampton Roads luncheon at the Norfolk Marriott Waterside . The club’s program was sponsored by Old Dominion University’s College of Business and Public Administration.
Goode, who is scheduled to retire in January, reminded his audience that this wasn’t the first time he advocated greater cooperation among Hampton Roads’ cities.
“In 1995, I stuck my neck out as a relative newcomer and proclaimed that regional unity was imperative for the growth of the region,” Goode said.
“We all know that cooperation is necessary sooner or later,” Goode said. “My concern today is the same as then. It’s the sooner-or-later part that worries me. Will we make it happen soon enough to establish Hampton Roads leadership? Or is our failure to address regional issues going to stop us in our tracks?”
Goode said he and his wife no longer drive from Norfolk to Williamsburg for dinner because of traffic congestion and sometimes think twice about driving to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. A planned 7.5-mile light rail line in Norfolk from Eastern Virginia Medical School through downtown to Kempsville Road will have to be expanded, he said.
“We’re going to need a much bigger concept to make a dent in our traffic problems, ” said Goode, who has served on the boards of several civic and cultural organizations during his career at Norfolk Southern.
However, “we can’t wait for 10 years for a crisis to develop,” he said.
The political environment for tackling transportation issues is more favorable than in the past, Goode said, because Virginia’s incoming governor received strong voter support from Hampton Roads and the region’s legislators hold key posts in the General Assembly.
Goode was less specific about ways to foster greater cooperation among the region’s municipalities, “I’m not smart enough to know the best way to get us together,” he said. “This is where the Nike slogan applies: Let’s ‘just do it.’”
Despite its population size, Hampton Roads isn’t necessarily considered a key U.S. market by some companies, he said. While listening to one company’s presentation to its board members for rolling out a product in major markets, “my eyes were opened,” Goode said. “I quickly realized that Hampton Roads was not on the list.”
If Hampton Roads wants to gain greater national stature, the best way to do so would be to build up its educational resources, especially for science and math, Goode said. “Nothing,” he said, “would make us more attractive to business and as a place to live than having a reputation for education.”
During his 13 years as chief executive, Goode oversaw the acquisition of Conrail with Norfolk Southern’s railroad rival CSX Corp. and the integration of major Conrail operations into the Norfolk Southern system.
However, the greatest challenge during his tenure as CEO “has been to keep a big organization focused during good times and bad on the safety-and-service culture that we’ve built,” said Goode, who began his career as a tax attorney at predecessor railroad Norfolk & Western.
With 21,300 miles of track in 22 states, Norfolk Southern is the nation’s fourth-largest railroad.