Construction starts on Savannah port’s ‘last mile’ connector

   Construction officially kicked off Thursday on the Port of Savannah’s “last mile” Jimmy Deloach (Parkway) Connector project.
   “Today, we take another step toward making sure companies can get their goods in and out of the port as safely and as quickly as possible, thereby saving time, money and lives,” Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal said in a statement. “When we finish deepening the port, I believe even more trucks will use this route, and that’s why this project is so important to us.”
   The $72.8 million, 3.1-mile Deloach connector will extend the current Deloach Parkway to State Route 307/Bourne Avenue near the port’s main gate. Once completed, the estimated 8,000 trucks that visit the Port of Savannah daily will have a limited-access, four-lane route directly to and from Interstate 95, and as a result, reduce traffic on busy State Route 21/Augusta Highway, the Georgia’s State Transportation Board said.
   The connector will include the construction of six new bridges, new interchanges at Grange Road and Pierce Avenue, and about 25 acres of wetlands mitigation. Work is scheduled to be completed in May, 2016. Atlanta-based Archer Western Contractors is the prime contractor.
   The current Jimmy Deloach Parkway opened to traffic in 2002. The Parkway and Connector are named in honor of former Chatham County Commissioner Jimmy Deloach, one of the road’s initial advocates.