NORFOLK, Va. — Trucks and trains carrying cargo to and from the Port of Virginia are a headache for many in Hampton Roads. But now, the port is preparing to handle even more cargo. This preparation comes in the form of an expansion of the port's central rail yard.
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“This expansion is crucial to the port’s continued growth," Virginia Transportation Secretary Shep Miller, III said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday to mark the completion of the expansion.
Eight new tracks for trains in the port’s central rail yard will allow over a million containers a year to come in and out of the port.
The expansion took more than two years and cost $83 million.
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Virginia Congresswoman Jen Kiggans was one of several people who spoke at Tuesday’s event and was optimistic that the increased train traffic could help with truck traffic.
“I know that that rail yard expansion is going to, hopefully, ease some of the congestion on Hampton Blvd.," Kiggans said.
But it will also mean more trains coming through, and that could mean waiting even longer for trains to pass at some of the crossings in Norfolk.
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Either way, Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander said this will help lift the city economically.
“This $83 million investment further solidifies our position as (having) world-class infrastructure as well as boosts our capacity to support critical infrastructure projects and accommodate the world’s largest ships with ease bringing more business, more jobs to Norfolk and to the broader region," Alexander emphasized.
Port officials said the traffic changes will happen over years, not overnight.
The expansion is part of a $1.4 billion plan to modernize the port.
