west to Portsmouth, and south to Chesapeake. Chesapeake One possible extension would run south from Norfolk, probably terminating in the Greenbrier area of Chesapeake, Virginia. Norfolk A second possible extension would continue The Tide from the Medical Center terminus to Naval Station Norfolk, which would connect Old Dominion University to the light rail service. The naval base is one of the largest employers in the Hampton Roads area and ODU is a large public university. In 2018, HRT determined this extension would be too costly and instead began to focus on an extension in the eastern portion of the city to include Military Circle. Peninsula The Peninsula Rapid Transit Project is exploring the feasibility of light rail in Newport News. Likely stops for The Tide on the Peninsula would include downtown Newport News, the Newport News Amtrak passenger railway station, the Oyster Point area, and Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport. An extension between downtown Newport News and downtown Hampton is also being considered. Virginia Beach This proposed LRT extension would continue along the former Norfolk Southern (NS) Railway right of way. Major stops would be located at Virginia Beach Town Center in the Pembroke area, near Oceana Naval Air Station, and would terminate in the resort area at the Virginia Beach Convention Center, a few blocks west of the Atlantic Ocean. A possible spur would branch at the NS Railway's Oceana Junction (just east of London Bridge Road and just north of Potters Road) and use the existing abandoned railway right-of-way along the west side of Oceana Naval Air Station to the south. As another possible LRT extension, most of the former NS Railway line from the Witchduck Road area south to the Virginia Beach Municipal Center remains currently undeveloped. In 2011 the city of Virginia Beach suggested it might extend The Tide light rail service east from the Newtown Road terminus. Virginia Beach's mayor at the time, Will Sessoms, said the city hoped to purchase the right of way. The city subsequently purchased the tracks for $40 million, using $10 million of local tax funds – which would allow a total rail length of about . The extension is estimated to cost $254 million to the Town Center and $807 million to the Oceanfront. In 2016, voters in Virginia Beach rejected expansion of the light rail into the municipality. Consequently, all planning for extension of the system into Virginia Beach