The proposed deepening of the Savannah Harbor received a major boost today in the form of documents released by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The studies released today show the cost would be about $652 million to deepen the Savannah River shipping channel by five feet, to 47 feet. The economic impact of the expected increase in trade would amount to $174 million a year, nationwide.
In a related development, the South Carolina Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear a dispute over a state water quality permit that would allow the dredging of the shipping channel, according to a report by the Associated Press. The court’s decision to take the case will fast track a final ruling in a matter that would have been appealed up from lower courts.
The public comment period on the documents released today is tentatively set to end at noon on May 21.
Click here to read the full reports from the Army corps. Some links from this page to others appear to be broken.
The reports were applauded by state and local elected officials, along with business leaders, in Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee. The report has been 15 years and more than $40 million in the making.
The two reports cover topics ranging from the economic impact of future trade to the length and depth of the proposed deepening project to the projected environmental impact.
Gov. Nathan Deal heralded the report that supports deepening the Savannah Harbor.
Gov. Nathan Deal touted the results of the corps’ review.
The chairman of the Jasper County (S.C.) Council, Samuel Gregory, said he was pleased by the report. Gregory’s support is significant, given that Jasper County is the site of a proposed deep water port and would be affected by the harbor deepening project.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed praised the reports that endorse the deepening of the Savannah River.
“The Port of Savannah is a vital part of the supply chain for Target and many other companies. The announcement that Savannah’s harbor deepening has taken an important step toward construction is great news for the U.S. economy, Target and our guests.
J. Randy Jackson, Vice President of Human Resources and Administration, Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, Inc.
Stephen W. White, Chief Logistics Officer, Dollar Tree, Inc.
Stephen Isaf, CEO Interra International, Inc.
Ulises J. Carrillo, Vice President, Global Logistics, Dole Food Company, Inc.
Are we discussing improvements to Freight Rail capacity if this project moves forward? It seems right now the freight rail lines are at capacity in Georgia, so if we are going to rely on trucks traveling up I -75 through Atlanta (and the west side of 285) then perhaps we shouldn’t do this project. Is this why we are spending so much money adding capacity to 75? Is this why the almost $700 billion in proposed TIA “transit” dollars may go to building HOT lanes instead of rail?
Actually, there are somewhat surprisingly serious ongoing discussions of upgrading the freight rail lines so as to establish a high-speed freight rail link between Atlanta and the Port of Savannah, especially seeing as though Savannah has basically become Atlanta’s maritime link to the world.
The Port of Savannah has also experienced white-hot growth over the last couple of decades to become one of the busiest seaports on the planet, an accomplishment that not many may have thought was possible about 30 years ago.