Getting around

SHIP SHAPE

Two deep-water ports and inland terminals in Charlotte and Greensboro provide competitive access to global markets. The Port of Wilmington in 2016 completed an expansion of its turning basin to accommodate ships carrying up to 10,000 20-foot equivalent containers. Also at the Wilmington port, a new 101,000-square-foot cold-storage facility contains space for 10,500 pallets of product, such as poultry, pork, seafood, fruits and vegetables.

FAST TRACK

More than 3,200 miles of railroad track traverse North Carolina, and more than 20 carriers offer service to 22 states in the eastern U.S. Jacksonville, Fla.-based CSX Corp. is building a $272 million intermodal rail terminal in Rocky Mount, about 60 miles east of Raleigh, the capital. The project is expected to open in 2020. The Queen City Express, announced last year, will provide intermodal rail service between Port of Wilmington and a CSX terminal in Charlotte.

THE RIGHT SITE

At least three industrial megasites suitable for large-scale manufacturing are in various stages of development. The largest is the Chatham-Siler Advanced Manufacturing Site, with more than 1,800 acres of available space and direct access to the Norfolk Southern Railway. Others are in Edgecombe and Randolph counties.

TOP FLIGHT

Nearly 45 million travelers passed through Charlotte-Douglas International Airport in 2015, making it the nation’s fifth-busiest. The airport is undergoing a $2.5 billion, 10-year round of construction projects, which includes roadway expansions to ease passenger congestion, an expanded terminal and lobby, and the addition of a fourth parallel runway. It’s one of four international and 11 regional airports in the state. Raleigh-Durham International Airport, the state’s second largest, is also developing an expansive, 25-year master plan for future development.