Port compromise needed in fairness to N. Charleston

Two months ago, Norfolk Southern railroad's most senior executives sat across a crowded room from Keith Summey and described their company's strategic vision of accessing new state port terminals at the old Navy yard via the railroad's existing "north access" trackage.

"Over my dead body!" North Charleston's mayor firmly declared.

Summey reminded the assembled group of his standing prediction — sooner or later state projects at the old Navy base would lead to "north access" rail plans unacceptable to his city. Norfolk Southern's presentation simply confirmed his prescience, he said. North Charleston, Summey announced, would not be "jammed" with eleventh-hour rail plans that would conflict with the city's Park Circle, Old Village and Noisette redevelopment and revitalization initiatives. These neighborhood improvement projects are gaining traction, the mayor noted. Why should they be jeopardized by a state port development project that was legislated to his city and has been anything but thoughtfully planned?

And while he had the floor, North Charleston's five-term mayor growled on. As important as they are to the local economy, the mayor said, railroads can wear out their welcome. More specifically, he argued, his constituents are sick and tired of unreasonably slow and stopped trains clogging up the city's busy streets. He challenged the railroads to be more sensitive to their impacts in North Charleston.

And now Mayor Summey is drawing battle lines over a rail plan and proposed legislation that would effectively revamp Norfolk's Southern "north access" for the state's vaguely planned Veterans terminal and the evolving new containership terminal at the old Navy base. Some state legislators, in their rush to assist the port authority and the railroads, are flouting certain agreements covering transfer of the base property, Summey insists. He's warning of vigorous litigation and he's even asked the Corps of Engineers to consider suspending the ports authority's terminal construction permit. You'd think Summey was at war to stop the State Ports Authority's container terminal project — but he promises he's not. He's raising community impact issues he believes should have been addressed years ago as state port projects for the old base were formulated.

And Rep. Jim Merrill, taking the lead to provide the railroads a legislative solution to these predictable rail access issues, surely didn't mean to insult North Charlestonians — but he did. Docks and railroads were long ago legislated off Merrill's Daniel Island district. To many North Charleston citizens, his proposed legislation equates to a state instruction that North Charleston accept and abide impacts not acceptable to Merrill and his Daniel island constituents.

Of course, it's not that simple and we are reminded the Ports Authority's long-delayed port development plan is a planning mess and political nightmare that simply won't end. But beyond this word war, there are readily available compromises, and both Summey and Merrill have indicated their readiness to find them. But they will need help — especially from the railroads.

The objective is rail operations that provide equally competitive port terminals access to the Norfolk Southern and CSX railroads. If the railroads would agree with each other, these pesky issues could be resolved with reasonable accommodation to Summey's valid concerns. But trunk line railroads fiercely protect their competitive advantages and their perceived shareholders' values, and thus, they seldom readily agree on anything, especially granting a competitor equal access to a piece of business. Developer Robert Clement has proposed turning his Macalloy property and adjacent lands into a rail-head complex that would give both railroads near-dock services to the SPA's new container terminal. This is an attractive concept, worthy of immediate attention. Access to the Veterans terminal could be a bigger challenge and require the railroads to agree on a matrix of issues.

Railroads are important to our state's economy. They need to be nurtured. But the railroad companies must help in the processes of compromise. Mayor Summey and Rep. Merrill surely understand the importance of both rail operations and state port system needs. Summey and his city have been planning and now demand respect for what North Charleston has accomplished. It's understandable that Merrill would want to assist the Authority and the railroads in making the old Navy base site work well. He was a leader in the legislative processes that chased the SPA off Daniel Island and to the city of North Charleston. His side won, but that should not mean North Charleston loses.

The payoff for the public may be — finally — a rail plan for the Neck area that rationalizes all concerns. The key will be getting the normally recalcitrant railroads to cooperate with each other and with the community. This should be the focus of political enterprise, and no doubt will be when Mayor Summey and Rep. Merrill and their colleagues finally conclude that it's time to confect a compromise.

Ron Brinson is a former associate editor of this newspaper. He can be reached at rbrin1013@gmail.com