Public and Private Partnership (PPP)
Public-private partnership is an agreement between a government agency and non-government organization to work together to achieve significant public benefits; including the reduction of congestion, reduction of emissions, and improvement of safety while securing the future of the nation’s transportation infrastructure.
A private partner can be a privately owned company or other non-government entity that wishes to deliver transportation-related projects to reduce emissions, improve congestion, protect the environment and benefit the national economy.
Heartland Corridor
The Federal Highway Administration, Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division (EFLHD) has embarked on a partnership with the Norfolk Southern Railway Company to carry out environmental planning, design, and construction of the Heartland Corridor — a project to increase freight capacity on the vital Virginia to Ohio route. The Project will allow double-stacked freight trains to run between the Hampton Roads region in Virginia and Columbus, Ohio. The EFLHD is responsible for the coordination and facilitation of the overall schedule for the entire Project, as well as for the management of Federal funding.
Crescent Corridor
Norfolk Southern has initiated the Crescent Corridor Intermodal Freight Program of projects to develop a fast and efficient rail intermodal route from the Gulf Coast to the Northeast. When fully developed, this program of projects will provide new and improved domestic rail intermodal service between the Northeast and Southeast. Rail route enhancements and intermodal terminal development are required to provide the service necessary to create these public benefits. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) launched the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) discretionary grant program on June 17, 2009 and solicited applications for innovative, multi-modal and multi-jurisdictional transportation projects that provide significant economic and environmental benefits. On February 17, 2010, Norfolk Southern’s Crescent Corridor Program was awarded a TIGER grant in the amount of $105 million, split evenly towards the construction of two regional intermodal facilities in Tennessee and Alabama.
National Gateway Clearance Project
The National Gateway Clearance Initiative is an improvement program to achieve a minimum of 21 feet of vertical clearance along CSX Transportation Inc's (CSX) rail corridor so that double-stacked intermodal railcars can be transported between Mid-Atlantic States and their ports to Midwest markets. Vertical clearance requirements will be met by track lowering, bridge raising, and tunnel modifications. By doing so, the National Gateway initiative will create a highly efficient rail system to connect Midwest producers and consumers with mid-Atlantic ports and world markets. In addition to spurring economic growth throughout the region, successful completion of the project will double intermodal capacity along the existing corridor without increasing noise, emissions, or the number of trains.