GPA’s throughput sinks 11% in April

Meanwhile, the state of Georgia dedicated a new road connecting the Port of Savannah to I-95, saying it will speed cargo flow and improve safety.    The Georgia Ports Authority handled 298,041 TEUs in April, an 11 percent decline from the same period last year.
   Import container volumes (full and empty), totaled 130,208 TEUs, while export container volumes (full and empty) reached 111,229 TEUs, a 10 percent and 13 percent year-over-year decline, respectively, the Georgia Ports Authority said.
   Last Friday, a new highway connector between the Port of Savannah and I-95 was dedicated.
   Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal joined Georgia Ports Authority Board Chairman-elect James L. Allgood, Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell R. McMurry and local leaders to celebrate the opening of what is called the Jimmy DeLoach Connector. DeLoach was both a mayor of Garden City, which is adjacent to the port, and a commissioner of Chatham County, which includes Savannah and the port.
   “Completion of the Jimmy DeLoach Connector will be beneficial for both freight movement and driver safety around the Port of Savannah, while positively impacting Georgia’s economy,” Deal said. “A direct east-west link from the port to Georgia’s highway system will expedite the delivery of cargo to and from every corner of the state, while relieving traffic and enhancing safety on State Route 21. The Jimmy DeLoach Connector is the final segment of that link, and I am proud to see this investment come to fruition.”
   The new Connector is a 3.1-mile, four-lane highway between State Route 307 and the terminus of the Jimmy DeLoach Parkway. The route largely runs parallel to State Route 21 and allows direct access to I-95 and I-16 for the more than 8,000 trucks that enter and leave the Port of Savannah each day.
   In 2011, the General Assembly authorized the sale of up to $100 million in bonds to fund the project, which included right of way costs of $20 million, construction costs of $72.7 million and an additional $5 million in utility relocation costs.