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Intermodal is the answer

MATT GENTRY | The Roanoke Times

Traffic slowly climbs Christiansburg Mountain on U.S. 460 on Wednesday. Interstate 81’s south lanes are closed while the Virginia Department of Transportation works on a slope. Residents in communities along the detour say they are frustrated by these events.

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Friday, September 6, 2013

Every Wednesday, I work on a trail crew. On Aug. 28, we were working at Eastern Montgomery Park behind the firehouse at Elliston. Throughout the day, traffic on U.S. 460 was backed up because of the Interstate 81 detour, and a continuous parade of trucks crawled past heading west, sometimes coming to a complete stop.

But a couple of times during the day, I was alerted by the loud blast of a horn. I looked up to see Norfolk Southern intermodal trains with several hundred trailer-equivalent containers charging west on the parallel mainline across the street.

I can think of no better manifestation of why we need to invest more in railroads and reduce truck freight clogging our highways.

DAVID FOSTER
SALEM

Saturday, September 14, 2013