Growing fiber-optic networks add
to Virginia’s Technology
Corridor
The aCorridor is located
along Virginia’s Technology Corridor in southwestern Virginia.
Broadband services are spreading throughout this region with companies
like Bristol Virginia Utilities and Sprint introducing new communications
technology to residents and businesses. Bland County recently announced
the launching of a new wireless Internet service available in a
defined area of the county seat.
Southwest Virginia has
nearly 30 electronic village projects. The Town of Abingdon was
one of the first and has been designated as one of the most wired
communities in America. The region includes 55 schools linked to
a fiber-optic based distance learning network.
Transportation
Located at the crossroads
of I-81 and I-77, the aCorridor’s location provides easy access
to the East and Midwest connecting with other major interstate systems
- I-26, I-75, I-40 - as well as strategic four-lane highway systems
- U.S 460, U.S. 58 and U.S. 23, a four-lane highway that stretches
from Virginia to Detroit.
More than 50 motor carriers
provide trucking service to the region, with 10 of those operating
terminals in the aCorridor.
Two commercial airports
are accessible to the aCorridor. Tri-Cites Regional Airport in Blountville,
Tennessee, and Roanoke Regional Airport in Roanoke, Virginia, offer
passenger, air cargo and charter services.
Three general aviation
airports are located in the region. These include Virginia Highlands
Airport in Abingdon, Mountain Empire Airport in Smyth County and
Twin County Airport in Hillsville.
Two Foreign Trade Zones
are available for use by businesses in the aCorridor. One is located
at the Tri-Cities Regional Airport and the other is situated in
Dublin, Virginia.
Norfolk Southern's rail
lines parallel along the I-81corridor and provide rail service to
the region.
Utilities
The aCorridor is located
in a region of the U.S. that enjoys some of the lowest electric
rates in the country.
American Electric
Power (AEP) provides electricity to the
region and serves as a partner in economic development. AEP is one
of the nation's largest energy companies serving 4.8 million customers
across 11 states
Bristol Virginia
Utilities (BVU) is a municipally owned system, providing
electric, water, wastewater and fiber optic service to the City
of Bristol, Virginia and the surrounding area.
BVU is a technology leader
with a new state-of-the-art fiber-optic network offering voice,
video and high-speed data applications to residents of the Bristol
area. BVU's OptiNet offers phone, long distance, cable television,
dial-up Internet and high speed Internet services.
Sprint is
a local service provider in the aCorridor and in portions of 18
U.S. states. Like AEP and BVU, Sprint is also involved in economic
development efforts in the region and in Virginia.
Sprint provides local
telephone, long distance, wireless, and DSL high-speed Internet
service to residents and businesses in the aCorridor.
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Transportation Information