Business Community Applauds the Innovation and Partnership in the Reopening of U.S. 421

Wilmington, NC – Businesses along the U.S. 421 corridor in New Hanover County are celebrating the collaboration between CSX and the North Carolina Department of Transportation to accelerate the maintenance work on U.S. 421 this week. The track maintenance was completed in just over two days, thanks to the support of District Division Engineer Chad Kimes and the NCDOT New Hanover Maintenance Unit. Initially, the project was expected to close U.S. 421 for five days, adding costly delays to businesses along the corridor. 
 
“North Carolinians deserve infrastructure that is high quality, and they deserve those projects to be undertaken expeditiously with taxpayer dollars spent wisely to benefit our communities,” said English. “Collaborative partnerships like what we saw this week can save businesses a tremendous amount of time and money. I’m grateful for the attention of leaders at CSX and NCDOT for prioritizing this project.”
 
President of Andrew Consulting Engineers and Wilmington Chamber Board Chair Neal Andrew added, “I appreciate the efforts from both organizations to maintain our railroads properly. When there are disruptions to critical infrastructure, business owners need work completed quickly and efficiently. I’m grateful to Chad Kimes for creating the sense of urgency around this work and for making the difference in its execution.”
 
The expedited completion results from a revised work schedule that included crews from CSX and NCDOT, specifically the New Hanover Maintenance Unit, working well into the night to reduce the closure length.