Old Dominion Freight Line

Old Dominion Freight Line’s largest truck terminal in North America remained in operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week while we built a $9.2 million, 65,339-square-foot addition to the facility.

The solution to keep freight shipments moving without disruptions was to construct the terminal building addition in a non-traditional, backwards fashion. Instead of construction beginning adjacent to the existing terminal, it began at a point furthest away from the original building and required perfect alignment so the new and existing structures would join seamlessly.

This backwards construction allowed for a 60-foot gap to be left between the original terminal building and the new addition so trucks could reach the docks uninterrupted while construction was underway. Once the new addition was completed, the truck route was changed to loop around the new addition without interruption to traffic flow, and the remaining 60 feet of the addition was completed.

Project highlights:

• 900 employees and 480 trucks passed in and out of the facility gates each week.
• 45,207 square feet were added to the existing terminal.
• A new 20,132-square-foot maintenance building was built.
• Major site work required moving 160,000 cubic yards of earth and rock material in a 38-acre area and added 14 acres of concrete and asphalt paving to the original paving.
• Unique approach of working backwards, coupled with diligent planning and ongoing communication, enabled the freight line to operate efficiently and increase tonnage by eight percent during the year-long project.