For Immediate Release...
March 12, 2010
GTP RAIL SPUR CONTRACT AWARDED
The N.C. Department of Transportation announced today that Hinkle Contracting Co. of Paris, KY has been awarded a $14.3 million contract to construct a 5.6-mile rail spur into the Global TransPark (GTP).
The connector will start at the North Carolina Railroad tracks that run almost parallel to U.S. Hwy. 70 through Kinston and head toward the GTP along Hillcrest Road. The new line will cross Hull Road, Dobbs Farm Road, Harvey Parkway and Shackleford Road before entering the GTP and ending at the Spirit AeroSystems site.
DOT officials expect construction to begin in early April and to be complete by November of 2011.
Officials at the GTP are pleased with the progress that has been made.
“The DOT Rail Division has done an excellent job working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to get this project designed and permitted and into construction ahead of schedule and under budget,” said Darlene Waddell, executive director of the Global TransPark.
Waddell continued, “This cooperation amongst agencies and the ability to deliver needed infrastructure in a timely manner exemplifies the friendly business climate that exists at the GTP.”
Spirit AeroSystems' new manufacturing facility will begin operations in the 3rd quarter of this year. The company plans to truck aircraft components to a temporary load site off of U.S. Hwy. 258 until the permanent rail spur is finished.
Once the rail spur is complete to the site, Spirit will send fuselage panels and wing spars for the Airbus A350 XWB directly from the factory via rail to the Port of Morehead City, and then by ship to Toulouse, France for final assembly.
Waddell adds that, in addition to Spirit, other current and future GTP tenants will be able to access the rail spur on either the north or south sides of the huge GTP runway, should their operations require it.
“The rail spur has been designed so that it can be accessible to other locations throughout the GTP in addition to the Spirit site,” said Waddell. “It is a critical piece of infrastructure that will help the GTP attract tenants with large-scale shipping needs.”
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FOR INFORMATION:
Alanna King
(252) 522-4929, ext. 719
e-mail: aking@ncgtp.com
