JEFFERSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Hundreds of acres of East Tennessee farmland could soon be part of a several million dollar rail yard.

Scores gathered at Jefferson Middle School on Thursday evening to discus Norfolk Southern’s proposed Intermodal Rail project in New Market. The facility would be used to transfer freight from tractor trailers to rail. Among its tasks would be stacking shipping containers on rail cars. According to the railroad, the facility would help remove as many as 1.1 million truckloads of freight off the road annual.

In spite of the potential economic benefits, the proposal has drawn a number of vocal opponents.

"We're a little community; we don't need that,” said Bonnie Sands, a New Market resident. “We can find jobs if we want them.“

Residents like Sands have spent most of the year writing letters to Norfolk Southern executives and government officials explaining their problems with the project. The Thursday night meeting gave many of those same critics a chance to voice their opinions to railroad representatives in person.

"It's going to be located next to an elementary school,” said Scott Grimsley, a New Market resident. “We'd hate to see any of those children actually have to deal with all the pollution from those diesel trucks.”

“Truck drivers are going to get laid off,” said Sands. “They were also talking about there being no drugs and prostitutes, but there is always going to be drugs and prostitutes.”

Other leading critics worry about how it will impact the long-term goal of agricultural preservation.

“I am not against the Intermodal, most of the people here are not,” said Billie McNamara, a preservationist and Jefferson County resident. “We think it's a great idea, we just don't want it to take away the how ever many acres it's going require of our heritage.”

Norfolk Southern chose New Market after studying several sites from Knoxville to Greene County. They say the site is the best possible choice due to its flat land and easy interstate access. They hope to finish acquiring land for the facility by the end of 2009.