Hub of opportunity: CSX project would be a boon to county -- if we don't get off on the wrong track

The Wayne County Board of Commissioners has said it plans to pursue the CSX Railroad hub that Johnston County turned down.

Good.

Wayne has ample room for the nearly 500-acre hub that would bring hundreds of jobs to the county, and more importantly, create a transportation center that would link railroad lines and trucking routes with the ports at Morehead City and Wilmington.

It is a dream long held by many local people in the economic development field and a natural fit for Wayne County, which has been a railroad hub for well over a century.

Apparently, Johnston County said no to the proposed project after initial attempts to secure the land were rebuffed by landowners who feared their property would be taken through the use of eminent domain.

Let's hope Wayne County officials don't make the same heavy-handed mistake.

Published in Editorials on January 23, 2016 8:48 PM