Intermodal Facilities
Martinez noted that about 400 acres are available near the preferred site for development of a business park, which could accommodate companies that would want to locate to New Market to take advantage of the railroad facility.
It would be Jefferson County's link to a system of rail lines and other interposal operations that Norfolk Southern is planning called the Crescent Corridor, Martinez said. The corridor would be a 2,500-mile route linking the Gulf Coast to New England with connections to the Port of Virginia and to the West Coast via a route to Chicago.
Martinez cited studies by the University of Tennessee and by Insight Research Analysis, which he said were done independently, that calculated the operation's economic benefits to New Market and the region. Insight Research estimated 1,801 jobs would be added in New Market by 2020 and the UT study predicted 26,000-27,000 new jobs for Jefferson County by 2025.
Martinez also addressed what he said was wrong information circulating in the community about the project.
The Post and CourierNow that recent legislative skirmishes over port rail lines have ended, it's time to take a hard look at the idea of building intermodal rail facilities and rail lines on the Noisette and Clemson properties at the northern end of the old Navy Base. This idea is simply unworkable because of numerous legal impediments.
This spring, legislative leadership introduced a budget proviso and amendment to the ports authority-restructuring bill that sought to force rail access through the northern end of the old Navy base. Meanwhile, the Department of Commerce and its Division of Public Railways offered up recommendations in the State Rail Plan 2008 Update to pursue options that included developing the Noisette and Clemson sites into rail facilities served by northern access.
Developing these sites as rail facilities and forcing northern access is the wrong choice for a number of reasons,
The fights in local communities over eminent domain utilization for intermodal facilities are a nationwide area of local dispute. The above two article are good examples.
"Martinez also addressed what he said was wrong information circulating in the community about the project."
I live in the New Market TN area, and was at the presentation Dr. Martinez made. The meeting opened with Martinez and the Jefferson County Mayor waving around the flyer calling it lies and character assasination, but by the time Norfolk Southern was done with their presentation the only lie was on their part. The flyer referenced a similar facility in Elliston VA, Martinez and Lee Cochran (also with NS) denied any knowledge pretty much of even the fact Elliston VA existed, but the next day the Norfolk VA paper announced that NS was building an intermodal facility in Elliston. Norfolk Southern has refused to meet in any public forum since the July meeting. They've accepted an invitation from the school board, but backed out when they found out school board meetings are, by law, a public meeting. They accepted an invitation from the League of Women Voters, but backed out when they learned it wasn't a presentation but rather a controlled forum with three people representing the opposition. They were schedule to speak to the leadership class at the Jefferson County High School, but cancelled when word leaked out to the public. Martinez and Cochran have stated Norfolk Southern will not participate in anything that isn't a presentation to a limited audience with limited audience participation.