Class I railroad CSX to establish new freight railroad estimated at $272 million in Rocky Mount instead of Johnston County.
State officials, including Governor Pat McCrory, announced on Tuesday at Wesleyan College, North Carolina, that the project will receive $122,1 million in state financial incentives. The intermodal terminal is set to transport containers up and down the east coast of the country. CSX will receive financial rewards from the state on condition that it meets the aspired employment goals, which include maintaining the 876 jobs it already has in the state, and that it invests $16 million in the facility by 31 December 2024.
These financial rewards were approved by North Carolina’s Economic Investment Committee and consist of the following: $11 million in performance incentives from the Department of Transportation, $7,8 million in intermodal tax credits and $4,3 million in Job Development Grants.
Why the shift in location?
The Carolina Connector was initially supposed to occupy 45o acres of land in the South Carolina region where the project was meant to alleviate congestion caused by trucks transporting containers. However, residents of Johnston County and Four Oaks where the project was expected to take place were not consulted until January and as a result, they were in disagreement.
Some of the reasons for the opposition were related to fear of noise, light, and pollution. Other residents did not want to sell their plots of land to make way for the railroad’s construction.