b'More than a century later, Waycross continues to reap an economic boost from Georgias robust rail system, which includes 4,600 miles of active rail lines and represents the largest rail network in the Southeast. Our strength is in transportation, says Jana Dyke, president and CEO of the Waycross-Ware County Development Authority (WWDA). With the rail lines and highways, cargo can move anywhere in the U.S. We truly are where the ways cross.Transportation HubA community of just over 35,000, Ware County has a logistical footprint that benefits from a Class 1 rail serviced by CSX Transportation, an extensive highway system, and easy access to international seaports. Our geographical location is a plus, says Dyke. We have the infrastructure that businesses need to access the Southeast and beyond. The CSX Rice Yard has approximately 1,000 employees and features a hump yarda system where trains are pushed over a small hill as cars are uncoupled and then roll down the hump and connect with outbound trains. Promoting Ware County: Jana Dyke,One of the nations oldest and largest railroad companies, CSX president and CEO ofTransportation, maintains six lines that handle more than 60 the Waycross-Waretrains per day at the Waycross facility.County Development AuthorityOur strength is in transportation. With the rail lines and highways, cargo can move anywhere in the U.S. We truly are where the ways cross. - JANA DYKEWaycross was one of the lucky ones. The Union Station,Providing significant savings and convenience to its tenants, constructed in 1911, remains in the heart of downtown. Now homethe WWDA owns the rail lines within the Waycross and Ware to the Waycross-Ware County Chamber of Commerce, the historicCounty Industrial Park.buildingone of Georgias largest remaining railroad stationsis a popular spot for railfans to sit on the back porch and watchWith the WWDA owning the rail lines, companies can tap trains pulling into the CSX Rice Yard. into the main CSX line at a much lower cost, says Dyke. For Incorporated in 1874, Waycross, formerly Tebauville, gained itsexample, to add a main lighted switch on our line cost about name from where the ways cross, a reference to the formation of$25,000, and if we didnt own the line, the cost would jump to multiple tracks that crisscross through the rail yard.approximately $250,000.40 SG MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2020'