Heartland Corridor Project

Heartland Corridor Project. Welch. The topography of Welch and surrounding area consists of steep hills, V-shaped valleys, and sharp ridges. Welch is tucked into this rugged terrain, with the town built on the narrow valley floor, less than 1,000 feet wide in places, of Tug Fork and its tributaries. It was through this unique landscape that the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W, now Norfolk Southern Corporation) built its railroad lines in the late 19th century, so that trains could access Southern West Virginia’s bounty of high quality coal and transport it to the rest of the country. Due to the rugged landscape, building of the rail line required construction of many bridges and tunnels in this area. , The Heartland Corridor rail clearance project involved a series of engineering efforts undertaken to allow trains to transport double-stacked containers of cargo through tunnels and across bridges along the Norfolk Southern rail line between the Port of Virginia and Columbus, Ohio and other destinations in the Midwest. Improvements were made to tunnels and bridges along the route, and terminals in Portsmouth and Columbus were upgraded to process the increased amounts of goods transported. The project was funded by the federal government; state agencies in Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio; and Norfolk Southern Corporation. , Clearance was increased in 28 tunnels (10 located within five miles of Welch; see map to right), and 24 other overhead obstructions were cleared. Of the 28 tunnels modified, 15 needed to have the roof excavated and the liner replaced. Seven tunnels were notched to allow passage of the containers, and tracks were lowered or realigned at six tunnels. Many of the tunnels also required drainage improvements. In total, 5.7 miles of tunnel were modified. , Construction for the Heartland Corridor project began in October 2007 and was completed in September 2010. As part of this work, Norfolk Southern Corporation sponsored documentation of 116 bridges and tunnels along the old N&W line between Belspring, Virginia, and Bull, West Virginia. Norfolk Southern Corporation and the federal and state agencies involved are proud of their cooperation and achievement. The project has been called the most ambitious railroad engineering project of the past century, and represents the continued importance of rail transportation to the nation's economy.