(The following story by Jean Tarbett Hardiman appeared on The Herald-Dispatch website on November 14, 2009.)
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Patrick Donovan started talking about Prichard, W.Va., a long time ago, he said.
He foresaw a center of activity for transporting goods, a place where trains carrying double-stacked containers could drop off goods, and where barges along the Big Sandy River, planes from Tri-State Airport, and trucks along the Tolsia Highway could pick them up.
He wanted it to be a stop along the planned Heartland Corridor — a project that involves improvements in Norfolk-Southern railways between the Virginia coast and Columbus, Ohio, so trains can carry more goods in a more direct route. When finished, 28 tunnels will be raised so that trains can carry double-stacked containers.
The public-private partnership also will include construction of three intermodal facilities for easier transfer of containers between rail, roadways, rivers and airways — at Prichard, as well as Roanoke, Va., and Columbus.
While efforts to raise tunnels along the Heartland Corridor Project are moving right along, it’s been a slow process to get preliminary work done on an intermodal facility in Prichard. The West Virginia Public Port Authority went through a lengthy process to hire an engineering firm to do an environmental study on the land along the Big Sandy River, where it will sit. The study determines if the project is compliant with the National Environmental Protection Act. It looks at archaeological and flood concerns, stream restorations and wetland issues.
Baker Engineering of Cross Lanes was hired in February for that project, and while the results of the study are promising, Donovan said, the Port Authority still awaits approval from the West Virginia Historic Preservation Office.
“It’s like you’re waiting for Christmas, you know what I’m saying,” Donovan said. “I’ve been talking about this project professionally for eight years. For eight years of my life, I’ve talked about Prichard, W.Va., to whoever would listen.”
When it finally becomes a reality, it is expected to be an economic boon for the entire region, as companies set up warehouses and other related businesses along the route, said Donovan and Don Perdue, executive director of Wayne County Economic Development Authority.
Tri-State Airport is working with the Huntington Area Development Council to build a shell building intended to attract a related business, and other components should fall into place, Perdue said.
“It’s my opinion that this will have a domino effect, and as they fall, the outcome will be a great opportunity for us,” Perdue said.
While the Port Authority, as well as local government and Norfolk Southern — await that approval for the environmental study, they’re also waiting for news about a new grant for which they’ve applied.
They teamed up to apply for $50 million in federal stimulus funding. Nationally, $1.5 billion is up for grabs through the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary Grants Program. If approved, $30 million in TIGER funds would go toward the Prichard intermodal facility, and $20 million would go toward the tunnel work.
Donovan said he’s encouraged by what’s in the outline describing projects that would qualify for the grant money.
“They’re looking for projects that are sustainable, public-private, green — we fit all those,” Donovan said. “It’s economic development — they like that but also it’s a one-time investment because a public-private partnership takes up the maintenance and operation of the facility.”
Receiving those funds would free up more upfront money for the project. As of now, Senate Bill 569, approved by the General Assembly in 2007, provides $4.3 million per fiscal year through 2016 for the Heartland Corridor. The first fiscal year, $2.15 million was allotted, but the following years, the full $4.3 million will be provided. Norfolk Southern has already put $49.5 million of its own money into the tunnel clearance project, with a $90 million match in federal funds. The tunnel clearance project is estimated at $151 million, Norfolk Southern says.
Norfolk Southern has donated 78 acres to the West Virginia Public Port Authority for the intermodal facility at Prichard, and the authority already has 20-plus acres. The railroad company would take care of hiring a company to design the facility, and it’s undetermined right now who would operate it. Norfolk-Southern might contract out an operator, but would be involved in selection of the operator either way, Donovan said.
“Ideally, by late spring or early summer, I want to have some dirt moving. I really do,” he said.
Meanwhile, all kinds of earth is moving as workers continue to heighten tunnels along the railway.
“We’re currently working on the last five tunnels,” said Robin Chapman, spokesman for Norfolk-Southern. “One of them is called the Cooper Tunnel, not far from Bluefield. The other four are from Williamson and west of there on the Big Sandy River. We anticipate finishing in mid 2010.”
The magnitude of the work is huge, he said. It’s also a dangerous process. One worker was killed at a Norfolk-Southern tunnel work site near Kermit last month when rock fell on him. Chapman did not release his name.
He said although the work is dangerous, much is done to minimize the risk.
Workers increase the clearance for double-stacked trains by either lowering the track, when possible, or carving away rock in the tunnel.
“The other method is called notching,” Chapman said. “The top of the tunnel is an arch and the middle of the arch is high enough to get stacked trains through, but we can’t get a square peg through a round hole, so to speak, so we carve out notches in the roof. The end result kind of resembles cats ears.”
In preparation for the work, crews test drill into the rock to determine the density they’re dealing with, and make sure there are no voids behind it. Then they install rock bolts to stabilize the roof.
Meanwhile, trains need passage, so crews usually begin work in the wee hours of the morning so they can remove rock and spray a layer of concrete over the work area as a sealant before trains come through in the afternoon.
About the Heartland Corridor project
WHAT IS IT? The Heartland Corridor project involves improvements in railways between the Virginia coast and Columbus, Ohio, so that trains can carry more goods. Twenty-eight tunnels will be raised so that trains can carry double-stacked containers. The public-private partnership also will include construction of three intermodal facilities for easier transfer of containers between rail, roadways, rivers and airways. One is planned for nearby Prichard, while others are planned for Roanoke, Va., and Columbus.
WHO BENEFITS? Officials hope it creates a quicker route for businesses that need to ship, cutting about 200 miles from the route they travel now. It also would mean more goods moving by rail rather than highways, decreasing congestion on the highways, as well as air pollution.
An economic impact study (conducted by Global Insight on West Virginia’s portion of the Heartland Corridor) suggested that the Prichard facility could create 700 to 1,000 jobs in West Virginia and eventually bring about $12 million in annual savings for shippers into and out of West Virginia, said Patrick Donovan, director of the West Virginia Public Port Authority. He thinks Ohio and Kentucky will see benefits as well.
WHO’S INVOLVED? It’s a public-private partnership between Norfolk Southern and federal, state and local government agencies.
WHO’S PAYING? Senate Bill 569, approved by the General Assembly in 2007, provides $4.3 million per fiscal year through 2016. The first fiscal year, $2.15 million was allotted, but the following years, the full $4.3 million will be provided. Norfolk Southern has already put $49.5 million of its own money into the tunnel clearance project, with a $90 million match in federal funds. The tunnel clearance project is estimated at $151 million, Norfolk Southern says.
Norfolk Southern has donated 78 acres to the West Virginia Public Port Authority for the intermodal facility at Prichard, and the authority already has 20-plus acres.
WHAT’S BEEN DONE? Tunnel-raising projects are under way, and all but five are finished in fall 2009, said Norfolk-Southern spokesman Robin Chapman. The remaining projects are located near Williamson, W.Va., and westward.
WHAT’S NEXT? The West Virginia Port Authority awaits approval from the West Virginia State Historic Preservation Office to begin construction in Prichard. It’s also awaiting news about a $50 million stimulus grant for which it applied. The funds would come from the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary Grants Program and should be announced this winter.