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PROGRESS 2
Bob Plymale: Heartland Corridor will make shipping cheaper while stimulating economy
Workers drill into the roof of the Cowan Tunnel, near Radford, Va., in preparation for raising the roof. Tunnels in Virginia and West Virginia must be raised to accommodate double-stacked trains for the Heartland Corridor project.
The Heartland Corridor is a $150 million public-private initiative that will facilitate more efficient travel between road, river and rail lines beginning in Norfolk, Va., traversing through Southern West Virginia, more namely, through the small town of Prichard, and ending in Chicago, Ill. In fact, the Heartland Corridor will reduce more than 200 route miles versus the existing routing and shave up to a full day's transit time.
Because the Heartland Corridor will make the transportation of goods from the Eastern Seaboard to the Midwest markets more efficient, cities and towns located along this path are expected to receive an economic boost through construction jobs, as well as new primary and secondary businesses.
Two key construction components -- construction of the Prichard Inland Intermodal Port and the completion of five railroad tunnel clearances -- are necessary to make the Heartland Corridor project a success.
With the completion of several economic analyses and the modification of several railroad tunnels from single to double stack, the Heartland Corridor Project is a few steps closer to realization. When the Heartland Corridor is complete, the economic vitality of the region is expected to strengthen, and the efficiency and capacity of the nation's transportation network will be improved and enhanced.
A study by the West Virginia Public Port Authority, DMJM Harris and E.L. Robinson Engineering determined the Inland Intermodal Port at Prichard is the appropriate location for this facility. The study also determined that it is the right time and the right investment to begin construction at this location in order to help stimulate economic growth in Southern and Western West Virginia.
Selecting the best site for an intermodal facility is a big step, but there is additional work to be done before the Heartland Corridor may begin to help contribute to improvements in our area. The West Virginia Public Port Authority is now working on the first phases of an Environmental Impact Study and archaeology study of 78 acres at Prichard that will become the site of the facility. An in-depth construction cost estimate, which moves us closer to a master plan that balances capital costs with operational efficiency, is already under way. Discussions with the Virginia Port Authority and Norfolk Southern Railroad are also in progress, as are interviews with potential shippers and the development of a marketing plan.
In addition to the construction of the intermodal facility, more than 28 existing railroad tunnels in West Virginia, Virginia and Kentucky must be expanded to fit double stacked containers through them. From early this year through mid-2010, 23 tunnels in West Virginia will be cleaned with $90 million in federal funds and $49.5 million from the private sector, mostly from Norfolk Southern Railroad. Already, contracts in excess of $30 million of construction has begun on tunnels in Cowan, Va., and Roderfield, Laurel, Gordon and Vaughan, W.Va. Contracts for two additional tunnels are expected to be finalized soon.
Ideally, the Prichard Inland Intermodal Port would open in conjunction with the completion of the tunnel clearances, in mid to late 2010.
As work on the Heartland Corridor initiative and the Prichard Intermodal Facility advance, we expect the work to bring immediate construction jobs, as well as possibly 20 full-time, permanent jobs associated with the project.
More significantly, the state of West Virginia could expect the site to attract additional importers and business that will utilize the facility, thus creating an additional 750 to 1,000 jobs. Local shippers could realize up to $17 million in annual savings. Because double-stack cars reduce shipping costs by about $500 per container, as compared to single stack cars, consumers may also save money as the cost of goods decreases.
Stimulating economic growth and bringing jobs to Huntington and the outlying region is always a front-running issue to government, business and educational leaders in our area.
Thanks to the efforts of Sens. Robert C. Byrd and John D. Rockefeller IV and Rep. Nick J. Rahall II, funding for the construction has been secured through Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act - a Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). Of the $151 million project cost of the entire project, $95 million has been authorized from SAFETEA-LU. We applaud their continued efforts to supporting this project and making the Heartland Corridor a successful addition to Southern West Virginia.
The surrounding states of Virginia and Ohio are also on-board in funding the Heartland Corridor; in fact, the Virginia Rail Enhancement Grant has authorized $9.75 million in funds, and the Ohio Rail Development Commission Grant is to provide $836,355 for the project.
However, because the Heartland Corridor is a public-private partnership, many more investments from industry are vital. Norfolk Southern has generously donated $1 million toward this project to the W.Va. Public Port Authority, and as more studies are finished and more construction is completed, we expect additional businesses to invest in the project.
We also encourage the state of West Virginia to take a more significant role in investing in this project. According to the W.Va. Public Port Authority, if the state and private sector invests $30 million into the terminal's construction, the cost benefit to West Virginia would be in the $49 million to $65 million range by 2025. It is clear from the recent study that the return on investment substantiates this investment in our area's future.
The initial steps for the Heartland Corridor project have been made by elected leaders and private industry. Now, we need to look to the state of West Virginia to take the reins and bring forth the completion of this project.
Bob Plymale is a state senator from Wayne County and is director of the Nick J. Rahall II Appalachian Transportation Institute.
