Expanding Tunnels, Economy

A massive railway tunnel expansion project through Appalachia could bring a potential for local economic development in the field of global transportation.

Work will begin this month on the Heartland Corridor project which will enlarge rail tunnels through the southern West Virginia-Southwest Virginia region in order to accommodate double-decker freight cars

The $151 million venture is a public-private partnership between Norfolk Southern and the federal government. West Virginia , Virginia , and Ohio are also involved in the project.

Locally, 21 tunnels are earmarked for expansion – 16 in McDowell County , one in Mercer, and four in Giles County , Va.

“The Roanoke regional facility will cost about $18 million for the facility itself, and that facility is where you will do the physical transfer of containers from trucks to rail or vice versa,” Norfolk Southern Vice President Robert Martinez said.

The facility will allow the city to compete in the global marketplace and attract investments, he said.

Once an intermodal facility is developed, economic development can expand across the region, Martinez said. “Even localities as distant as 100 miles can still try to compete for new investments that require being integrated in the marketplace.”

What does the Heartland Corridor project mean to southern West Virginia ?

“Jobs … Jobs,” said Patrick Donovan, executive director of the West Virginia Public Port Authority.

Donovan said the world's largest container company is investing $500 million in private capital in a facility in Portsmouth , Va. , which will be served by this line.

With the extensive capital invested on the east anchor of the Heartland Corridor, Donovan said it is important development move inland.

“What you're seeing is millions of dollars of private investment in warehouse distribution activity,” Donovan said.

Near the Virginia Inland Port in Front Royal, Va. , another intermodal facility, a Home Depot employs about 200 full-time workers, at $18 to $22 an hour, as well about 75 to 125 short-haul drivers, Donovan said.

“That's a total employment of about 300, and that's just the Home Depot facility,” he said.

West Virginia is now in negotiations with Norfolk Southern to develop an inland container port in Prichard in Wayne County , Donovan said. The project would also allow West Virginia to ship and receive container freight.

“We're clearing the tunnels. We've got this global movement of freight,” he said, adding the question now is, “How do we plug into it in West Virginia ?”

If the Prichard site is developed as an intermodal facility, Donovan said a warehouse and distribution center would likely be located within 75 miles of the facility.

A 350-mile radius around this center could see a potential for economic growth, he said, which ties in with a highway and interstates system in development.

“It's really a transportation network we're developing,” Donovan said.

Donovan said there are areas in McDowell County , possibly reclaimed mine sites that could potentially be developed in conjunction with this global transportation hub.

McDowell County Economic Coordinator Rachel Lester is excited about the Heartland Corridor project and the economic development potential it may bring to the region.

“We welcome new opportunities in this county,” she said. “ McDowell County citizens are always excited about progress.”

Mercer County 's location between the two proposed facilities in Prichard and Roanoke may be a potential economic boost.

“You're in a very interesting position,” Donovan said. “If you're going east, you use Roanoke , if you go west, you come up 52 (to Prichard ).

“You guys are in a good site situation,” he said.

The plan for an intermodal facility in Prichard “is not a done deal,” Donovan said. However, he said the Heartland Corridor project is moving forward.

Norfolk Southern anticipates the tunnel expansion to be completed by 2009 or 2010.

“Now the decision is how does West Virginia plug into the Heartland Corridor,” Donovan said, continuing to ask, “Is it Prichard ? How do we leverage Roanoke from Bluefield ?

“If we're going to look at connecting to the global marketplace, we have to have foresight,” Donovan said.

--Samantha Perry (Bluefield Telegraph)