WVa intermodal facility transferred to local government

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Ownership of the Heartland Intermodal Gateway in West Virginia has been transferred to local government.

The West Virginia Department of Transportation’s Division of Multimodal Transportation Facilities transferred ownership to the Wayne County Commission, Gov. Jim Justice said Thursday.

The 65-acre facility that opened in 2015 was designed to transfer shipping containers between railcars and trucks, the governor’s office said. State funds and a federal grant were used to pay for the $32 million project.

“At the end of the day, when it comes to making sure the Heartland Intermodal Gateway is operating as its very best, there is no one better to lead the way than local leaders in Wayne County,” Justice said. “These are the people who are personally committed to making sure this important gateway succeeds, so it makes all the sense in the world to let the people with the most intimate knowledge take the reins.”