Branscome Companies

The Mainline Safety Relocation Project is the first of its kind for Branscome Companies. The purpose of this project is to relocate the existing Commonwealth Railway rail line from residential neighborhoods in Portsmouth and Chesapeake to the roadway medians of Route 164 (Western Freeway) and Interstate 664.

The new line will link existing industries on the Portsmouth waterfront (APM Marine Terminal and future Virginia Port Authority Craney Island Marine Terminal) with the Commonwealth Railway line at its existing point in Bowers Hill.

Once completed, the new line will eliminate fourteen grade crossings over approximately 5 miles of existing track. This will drastically improve rail safety and operating efficiency. In addition to the median rail, a new highway grade separation overpass will be constructed on Route 17 where the at-grade rail corridor transitions from the median of I-664 to the median of Route 164.

Construction on the project started in July 2007. Although the project was shut down from January 2, 2008 to May 5, 2008 for funding reasons, it currently is being constructed both on time and within budget. Anticipated completion is December 31, 2009.