Rail and Port Modernizations in NC Yield Significant Return
Interested in partnering with other North Carolina job creators to shape a transportation infrastructure funding strategy that supports the growth of our businesses and fuels success across our state’s communities? We’re saving a spot for your organization on the NC Chamber’s Destination 2030 Coalition.
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The NC Chamber has often elevated news of critical infrastructure projects throughout our state, like recent port and rail modernizations in eastern North Carolina aimed at expanding our access to outside markets, attracting new job creators, and growing and advancing our competitive economy. One of those projects which launched last November, CSX Transportation’s Carolina Connector intermodal transportation facility in Rocky Mount, is already making a positive impact on our state.
This recent piece from the Rocky Mount Telegram explains how the 330-acre intermodal transload terminal – a site that facilitates the easy transfer of shipping containers between different forms of transport like trains and trucks – is starting to ease the supply chain challenges that have affected our region for months. Besides helping to alleviate gridlock at the Port of Savannah that is also enabling a smoother movement of goods through North Carolina, the Connector is reportedly attracting interest from advanced manufacturers and logistics firms considering locating major economic development projects around this important asset. It is also what allowed the Port of Wilmington to expand rail access for its customers to markets in the Midwest through the recently launched Wilmington Midwest Express rail lines to St. Louis, Chicago, and parts of Ohio.
“The Wilmington Midwest Express positively impacts our customers by providing a direct connection between shippers and consumers,” said NC Ports Executive Director Brian Clark in the article. “With supply chain issues impacting ports across the United States, this new service provides a sense of relief for customers through the expedited delivery of goods to their final destination.
In addition to supporting the safety of our citizens, growing opportunity for North Carolina’s businesses and communities and securing our economic future are what forward-thinking infrastructure investments are all about. Success stories like the Carolina Connector and the Wilmington Midwest Express highlight why the NC Chamber’s Destination 2030 Coalition is so focused on securing a modernized, sustainable transportation funding formula for our state. If healthy, well-connected transportation infrastructure matters to your business, join the Coalition today to help foster a stronger, more resilient North Carolina tomorrow.