NCDOT awards $10.2 million contract for rail link

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) recently awarded a $10.2 million grading contract to C.M. Lindsay & Sons Inc. to create a 2.4-mile single-track railroad connection in Robeson County.

After the grading work is complete, CSX Transportation will construct a new track and signals, NCDOT officials said in a press release.

The project will connect the Class I's A-line, which runs north to south, and its SE-line, which runs east to west, just north of Pembroke.

The work is intended to provide freight trains a direct link between Wilmington, Fayetteville and points north. The new line will bypass Pembroke to the north, which is expected to alleviate congestion and create a more safe and efficient route for general freight trains and military equipment moves that frequently travel through the area, NCDOT officials said.

Work is expected to begin later this month and conclude in May 2018.

The contract is one of seven road and bridge projects recently awarded by NCDOT.