GPA approves expansion projects at Port of Savannah

The Port of Savannah’s Garden City Terminal’s capacity will be increased thanks to rail and gate expansion projects approved by the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA).    The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) has approved rail and gate expansion projects that will increase capacity at its booming Garden City Terminal at the Port of Savannah, the port authority said Monday.
   The board approved expenditures of $42.27 million as part of GPA’s $128 million Mason Mega Rail Terminal, which will double the Port of Savannah’s on-dock rail capacity to 1 million containers per year. So far, a total of $90.7 million has been allocated towards the project.
   Construction is scheduled to begin next month and be completed by the end of 2020.
   The board also approved a $13.2 million project to expand Garden City Terminal’s existing Gate 8. The project will increase the terminal’s gate infrastructure by 12.5 percent for a total of 54 truck lanes. GPA said the gate expansion project will help with growth and offer a better link to the Jimmy Deloach Parkway, which provides a direct truck route to Interstate 95.
   A GPA spokesperson told American Shipper the gate expansion project will begin by the end of the year, and is expected to be completed in September 2018.
   “In addition to expanding capacity, we will also reduce the impact on our local community,” GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch said. “The new pre-check lanes will reduce truck congestion and the Mega Rail Terminal will significantly reduce or eliminate rail crossings.”
   In October alone, the Garden City Terminal moved 410,000 TEUs, marking the first time in the Port of Savannah’s history that it has topped 400,000 TEUs in a single month, GPA reported.
   The Garden City Terminal has experienced growth since the opening of the expanded Panama Canal, Lynch said. He also noted how, “A strong Southeast U.S. economy, on-terminal expansion, and investment by private logistics firms throughout the region have resulted in phenomenal growth for Georgia.”
   Overall, the Port of Savannah is frequented by 38 liner services that connect it to regions outside of North America, according to ocean carrier schedule and capacity database BlueWater Reporting’s Port Dashboard tool. Broken down by service type, 33 are fully cellular container services; two are multi-purpose services; two deploy either roll-on/roll off or pure car/truck carriers; and one is a conro service.