NORFOLK – City Manager Regina Williams pushed back against mounting questions over how the city will pay the millions of dollars it owes to keep the light rail project on track.
Hampton Roads Transit's latest analysis of the light rail budget released Tuesday shows Norfolk owes more than $27 million for its share of the project.
The city has not said where it will find the money in its pinched budget, but Williams said she's "very confident" Norfolk will fund whatever it owes.
"We will fund the light rail project to completion," Williams said Tuesday, adding she sees no scenario where the city would allow light rail construction to stop.
But time is running out to find the money.
The city will need to pay a first installment of $4.5 million in January to keep the project going, HRT spokesman James Toscano said.
The original light rail agreement leaves Norfolk on the hook for any portion of the $338 million light rail project not funded by another entity.
"These contractors are private entities doing work and getting paid for it," Toscano said. "If we don't have the money, they can't do the work. It's just that simple."
Williams said her staff is working with federal and state governments to find other sources of funds to chip away at the $27 million figure that Norfolk.
As a last resort, the city could use bonds to finance the amount, Williams said.
