(The following press release from Congressman Nick Rahall appeared at Huntingtonnews.net on September 25.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The proposed expansion of the Prichard Intermodal Facility as part of the Heartland Corridor Project took a step closer to reality with the Wednesday, Sept. 24 announcement that the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has authorized funds for a study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The Corps study will evaluate the feasibility of extending navigation seven miles along the Ohio-Big Sandy Rivers to provide container services to industries at the Prichard site and the viability of a rail/highway/water complex there.
“The Prichard Intermodal Facility is an important step forward for the Heartland Corridor Project,” said Nick Rahall, D-WV, vice chairman of the committee. “The facility’s access to highway, rail—and especially river—is a Triple Play for business and industry in the Tri-State area. The Corps’ role in connecting the port with the river will be integral to the facility’s ultimate success.”
Part of the Heartland Corridor Project, the Prichard Intermodal Facility is a cargo-transfer station to be located along the Norfolk Southern rail line in Wayne County, West Virginia. Once completed, this facility would give industries in the West Virginia—Kentucky—Ohio area access to modern and efficient freight container service and access to international rail lines.
“We are pleased with the continued progress of the Heartland Corridor Project and the recent efforts by Congressman Rahall to secure additional federal support for the Prichard Intermodal Facility and its job growth potential in West Virginia,” said Charles W. “Wick” Moorman, CEO of Norfolk Southern Corp.
State Senator Robert Plymale, director of the Rahall Transportation Institute said, “By moving ahead with the rail components of the Prichard Intermodal Facility, it is timely for the Corps of Engineers to fully explore the maritime support aspect of this facility. Through Congressman Rahall’s forward thinking and futuristic outlook for West Virginia, the ongoing Heartland Corridor Project and the new Prichard Intermodal Facility will move our State forward economically.”
“This project would be stuck in the mud without the creative efforts of the Rahall Transportation Institute or the collaborative efforts of Norfolk Southern,” continued Rahall. “I look forward to working with them both, as work on the Heartland Corridor Project continues to progress.”