Georgia Ports Authority plans to invest $4.5B to upgrade Brunswick and Savannah ports, expanding capacity and facilities. Brunswick to add vehicle storage; Savannah to undergo renovations, bridge elevation, customs facility upgrades, and rail capacity expansion. Planned projects aim to prepare for future growth and supply chain needs.
Photo courtesy of Georgia Ports
The Port of Brunswick will add 50 more acres of paved vehicle storage at Colonel’s Island Terminal.
The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) plans to build and upgrade a number of large projects at shipping gateways in Savannah and Brunswick over the next 10 years, all of which are designed to lay the foundation for future success.
The $4.5 billion funding that GPA plans to spend on the effort is part of a master plan that was approved by the state agency to expand cargo handling capabilities and support future supply chain requirements, Daily Commercial News reported Oct. 10.
The investment is over and above the $3.27 billion that has already been spent on new port and inland infrastructure at Georgia's only two Atlantic shipping facilities since 2012.
Various locations at each site will see improvements as a result of GPA's investment and will enable the ports to double berth capacity and increase yard and rail volume. In the end, the ports will move from their current 7 million 20-ft. equivalent units, or TEUs, to a total capacity of 12 million TEUs.
Griff Lynch, president of GPA, recently told the Georgia International Trade Conference that the investments are going into projects that enhance the four key components of a successful port operation: berth space, yard capacity, trucking gate fluidity and intermodal connectivity.
"We are always focused on growth," he said. "We want to go above and beyond to build a port that handles both future growth and supply chain disruption. We are creating a safe, trusted harbor for your cargo. Leadership is being able to see what's coming and staying ahead of it.
"At the Georgia Ports, we are building a resilient link in the global logistics chain, one that is ready to withstand any future challenges," Lynch added.
He conceded that the GPA's plan is aggressive, but will enable the agency to boost rail capacity, upgrade docks and cranes, add new space for auto processing, and enhance the operations of its main terminals.
Brunswick Port Noted for its Auto, Machinery Handling
At the Port of Brunswick, which currently operates three deepwater terminals, a fourth berth and another 50 acres of paved vehicle storage are being added at the Colonel's Island Terminal.
The enhancements will complement 120 acres of paved storage and warehousing that were built recently at a cost of $262 million. The roll-on/roll-off port is one of the fastest growing auto and heavy machinery ports in North America and is presently used by 12 major auto companies.
Currently, the new ship berth in Brunswick is in the engineering phase, but when completed next summer, it will more efficiently accommodate modern vessels and be capable of handling 7,000-plus vehicles, GPA said.
That will make Brunswick the nation's largest auto port and allow GPA to accommodate increased trade crossing the docks more efficiently.
In the last fiscal year, which ended in June, the terminal handled more than 870,000 units. When fully complete, GPA noted, Brunswick's annual capacity will reach 1.4 million units, representing a 40 percent increase.
The port's growth has been driven by a population surge, and "comes in response to requests from auto manufacturers seeking to expand their cargo volumes through Georgia," explained Lynch.
Georgia itself is also growing three times faster than the U.S. population. More distribution centers and auto manufacturing companies like Hyundai are targeting the state as an attractive place to expand their enterprises, according to Daily Commercial News.
Improvements to the Brunswick terminal will also be accompanied by dredging and other upgrades to be done at the harbor by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, slated to begin before the end of 2024.
Nearly $38 million in federal funding is earmarked for the project, with $26.6 million going toward returning the federal waterway to its full authorized depth.
Another $11.35 million in federal funds and $6 million in state funds will be used to increase the safety and efficiency of vessel transit through the Turtle River channel. The plan includes an expanded area for vessels to pass each other, a bend widener and an expanded turning basin for ships.
Savannah Port to Remain Busy With Shipping, Upgrades
Several projects and upgrades have been proposed for the Savannah shipping port, one of the East Coast's busiest:
- GPA plans to fund a key renovation project at Savannah's Ocean Terminal that is expected to start in 2027 and be completed by 2028. The work will transform the existing three small-berth facility into two large shipping berths.
- A new, $29 million exit ramp for truckers will provide direct access to U.S. Highway 17, rather than having them wind their way through the historic city's local neighborhoods.
- The Talmadge Memorial Bridge over the Savannah River will be heightened by 2028 to allow larger container ships to pass under it and into the port.
- A future container terminal on Hutchinson Island is also due to be constructed to create another three big ship berths.
- Construction has already gotten under way on a new and larger $44.5 million U.S. Customs inspection facility at the Port of Savannah that will transform the existing 130,000-sq.-ft. structure into a 300,000-sq.-ft. building. When completed, it will also accommodate other federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
- New dock upgrades are scheduled to improve safety and capacity and ensure Savannah can efficiently handle the largest container ships serving the Atlantic Coast. The current dock infrastructure in the city is more than 50 years old. GPA hopes to begin construction at the site in late 2025.
Daily Commercial News said that a previously completed rail project at Savannah's Garden City Terminal has doubled rail lift capacity to 2 million TEUs per year. The massive rail expansion enabled the port to capture additional market territory through direct service to population centers across the Midwest states.
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