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2011 August 30   05:51

Ports open after Irene, trucks and rails resume service

Major East Coast ports re-opened Monday and trucking and railroad companies slowly resumed services as they began making a full assessment of damage to transportation operations that took the impact of Hurricane Irene's march up the coast, the Journal of Commerce reports.

 

The ports of New York-New Jersey, Baltimore, Norfolk, Morehead City and Wilmington reopened after facing winds of up to 88 miles per hour during the weekend, according to Customs and Border Protection.

 

The Virginia Port Authority had four container ships at berth at Norfolk Monday morning and other shipping up the East Coast was returning to normal. "There was plenty of wind and rain but we did not suffer major damage," said VPA spokesman Joe Harris. "The cranes and berths all came through it fine."

 

The Port of New York-New Jersey expects cargo activity to return to normal today, and the Port of Baltimore expects a normal pace of business to resume Tuesday, according to published reports.

 

Some trucking companies were running limited operations, especially in parts of the Northeast and in New England where heavy flooding closed roads. Major highways along the coast, including Interstate 95 and the interstates surrounding New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Norfolk, were clear, but authorities in several states said many side roads still were impassable.

 

New England Motor Freight said four of its terminals — in Richmond, Va., Bethpage and Albany, N.Y., and Burlington, Vt. — were closed and the carrier said it was restricting deliveries in some areas. "The customers aren't ready," said Tom Connery, NEMF's chief operating officer. "Many are closed or don't have power yet."

 

On the rails, Norfolk Southern said it would restart operations today at its terminal in Norfolk, Va.

 

“As Tropical Storm Irene continues to move along its path, CSX employees are assessing impacts to the railroad while removing trees from tracks and deploying generators to areas where electrical service is out,” CSX said Sunday.

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