State to invest $10M in short-line railroad improvements

Both North Carolina seaports and a project in the northeast will receive more than $5 million from the state for rail infrastructure projects.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Rail Division announced Tuesday plans to invest a total of $10.2 million that officials said will improve 14 railroad bridges and 27 miles of track.

Each of the rail projects are to be paid for with 50-50 matching funds from the state and private railroad companies.

The state’s share of the $20.5 million for all the rail projects is through the NCDOT’s Freight Rail & Rail Crossing Safety Improvement program.

The North Carolina State Ports Authority’s Morehead City port is to receive $1.01 million for track and rail crossing upgrades, and the Wilmington port has been awarded $2.78 million for construction of new tracks there. The Wilmington Terminal Railroad is in line for $590,846 for track upgrades to the dock lead at the port.

The Chesapeake and Albemarle Railroad is to be awarded $675,510 for bridge improvements and track upgrades along the mainline rail corridor in Currituck and Pasquotank counties.

“We are pleased to work with our short line railroad partners to improve the state’s critical freight rail network,” said Jason Orthner, NCDOT Rail director. “These projects are important investments to ensure our infrastructure can support growing transportation demands and economic development opportunities.”

The projects are to support the increase of freight rail traffic on the statewide railroad network, and reduce highway traffic congestion by diverting freight to rail, officials added.

Other projects in the state include the following:

Those projects and the state grant funds are:

• Aberdeen Carolina and Western Railway: $664,411 for bridge and culvert upgrades along the Piedmont Division in Cabarrus, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, and Stanly counties.
• Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad: $594,141 for track upgrades on the mainline rail corridor in Hoke County.
• Atlantic and Western Railway: $569,708 for track upgrades to the Jonesboro Branch in Lee County.
• Carolina Coastal Railway: $97,696 for track upgrades along the mainline rail corridor in Sampson County.
• Charlotte Western Railroad: $222,042 for track upgrades to the mainline rail corridor in Gaston County.
• Great Smoky Mountains Railroad: $1,319,745 for bridge improvements and track upgrades along the mainline rail corridor in Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties.
• North Carolina and Virginia Railroad: $800,916 for track upgrades and improvement of a rail crossing along the mainline rail corridor in Northampton County.
• Raleigh and Fayetteville Railroad: $942,725 for track improvements to the Fuquay Branch in Cumberland and Harnett counties.