Wilmington port receives RAISE grant to fund new intermodal facility

The North Carolina State Ports Authority will receive $18 million in federal funding for a new intermodal facility at the Port of Wilmington, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced last week.

The facility will be used for loading and discharging containers on and off rail at the port. The project calls for constructing four dedicated rail sidings; paving of 9.7 acres around the sidings; and deploying three specialized, dedicated reach stackers to unload and load rail cars.

In addition, the project involves the creation of a state-of-the-art area for loading and discharging containers on and off trains at the port to reduce vehicle miles traveled and support efficient transportation design.

The project will divert nearly 250,000 container boxes from trucks to rail over the next decade, USDOT officials said in a press release.

The intermodal facility is one of six projects to receive a combined $60.2 million in funding through the USDOT’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program, which funds projects that modernize roads, bridges, transit, rail, ports and intermodal transportation.

Rail service at the Port of Wilmington is provided by CSX; terminal switching is operated by Wilmington Terminal Railroad.

In addition to the port project, other RAISE funds awarded to North Carolina projects include $3.4 million to the town of Wake Forest to plan mobility hubs in seven communities along the passenger-rail S Line. Planning activities include feasibility and site assessments for all the partner communities, NEPA compliance, and preliminary engineering for four of the seven communities. The project will increase access to active transportation options, commuter rail and transit services, USDOT officials said.