Key resources that make Dublin the ideal location:
Town of Dublin's Burlington Industries Storage Warehouses
There are 10 buildings located at the existing Burlington Industries Industrial Park that are being marketed as storage facilities. Each of the 10 buildings have 10,000 square foot of storage space with sprinkler systems and ADT security alarms. These facilities are located directly adjacent to the rail line leading into the Dublin RAAP facility. There is also an existing road that connects the rail line to the storage facilities for easy access and freight movement. These storage facilities are crucial to the conversion of the RAAP facility into an intermodal inland port facility.
New River Valley Airport
This existing facility boasts an ample supply of available and affordable land for expansion and installation of shipping terminals. The NRV airport has one of the longest runways in the western portion of Virginia with a 6,201' x 150' asphalt runway. The airport has ample open space around the facility for both fixed facility improvements and runway improvements. This airport is well positioned to serve all domestic and foreign markets.
Norfolk Southern's Double Stack Rail Line
This key existing transportation facility provides yet another modal link in the global transportation market place. This rail line can accommodate double stacked freight containers with a combined total clearance height of over 20 feet. This makes this rail line one of only a few in the country capable of hauling larger and heavier volumes bound for trans atlantic shipping.
An Ideal Surface Transportation System for Moving Freight
The New River Valley is very fortunate to be located at such a close proximity to large Interstate Highway System routes serving all directions. Severing the region is Interstate 81 to the Northeast and Southwest. Located just 20 miles to the west of Dublin (the transportation center) is Interstate 77, which serves another portion of the north and south. Interstate 64 is another major Interstate lying just north of the New River Valley, which serves east/west locations. A new Interstate Highway (I-73) is proposed to run along U.S.460 through the New River Valley. These access points to all areas of the U.S. lend additional strength to the benefits of creating a transportation center in the Dublin area.
Abundant and Skilled Labor Pool
For its vastly rural setting, the New River Valley offers a rich and highly diverse labor pool. With the support of 2 major state universities and a community college, the New River Valley has an ample supply of labor that is highly skilled and well educated. Located within minutes of the proposed transportation center in Dublin, is the Center for Transportation Research at Virginia Tech University. In addition, with the defense conversion underway, an additional skilled labor pool exists in transportation and handling of various types of freight.
Abundant and Affordable Open Land
Transportation facilities by design require large amounts of open space land for current operations and future growth. The New River Valley offers one of the last great open space frontiers in Virginia with accessible and affordable land. With the proposed transportation center ideally situated in an area of undeveloped land, the virtual reality of such an aggressive concept appears even more realistic. Roanoke area economic development professionals foresee the New River Valley area becoming one of the great world wide transportation hubs of the eastern United States. The availability of this land could easily provide space for world wide transportation shipping terminals where freight/cargo is loaded for shipment to overseas markets.
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