NCDOT awards $6 million for freight-rail improvements

The North Carolina Department of Transportation announced $6 million in funding will be awarded to 12 freight-rail improvement projects in the state.

The funding is being provided through the Short Line Infrastructure Assistance Program (SIAP), a component of the Freight Rail and Rail Crossing Safety Improvement Program that was established by the General Assembly in 2013.

The North Carolina Railroad Co. also contributed. Each approved project was funded based on the needs of the railroad, as well as the impact of the proposed improvement.

The award recipients and projects are:
• R. J. Corman Railroad Group's Carolina Lines for joint elimination, signal and bridge upgrades;
• Port of Morehead City for repair of the West lead track and switch replacement;
• Aberdeen Carolina & Western Railway for upgrades to four bridges, switch upgrades, rail replacement and facility improvements;
• Blue Ridge Southern Railroad for upgrades to five bridges;
• Piedmont and Northern Railway for construction of a transload facility in Belmont;
• Carolina Coastal Railway for upgrades to seven bridges along the Norfolk Southern Railway Line and BH Line;
• Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad for rail replacement;
• Yadkin Valley Railroad for rail and crosstie replacement;
• Great Smoky Mountain Railroad for rail and crosstie replacement, and returning track to service;
• Port of Wilmington for rebuilding intermodal tracks 1 and 18; and
• Atlantic & Western Railway for turnout upgrades at Sanford Yard.