NS Crescent Corridor gains federal funds

Norfolk Southern has won final funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation for its long planned 2,500-mile Crescent Corridor linking New Orleans, Memphis and the Northeast, reports the Journal of Commerce.

The Crescent Corridor improvements, when completed, will increase height clearances and speed double-stack movements along the route, and expand intermodal terminals where trailers and containers are loaded onto and unloaded off of trains.

The most recent $105 million federal grant will be used to help develop a 261-acre intermodal terminal near Birmingham, Ala., and a 380-acre intermodal terminal near Memphis, reports the Journal of Commerce.

“By diverting 1.3 million commercial trucks from Interstates, the Crescent Corridor will greatly improve air quality along the route, reduce traffic congestion and generate significant fuel savings,” said the DOT in finalizing the grant.