With record cargo numbers across the board for the third month in a row, Georgia Ports Authority is making sure it’s ready for more with a nearly $20 million investment in a new gate at its dedicated container terminal.
At Monday’s meeting, the authority board approved an additional $10.2 million for construction of Gate 8, which will serve as a third major truck interchange at its Garden City Terminal. At a previous meeting, the board approved expenditures of more than $8 million to relocate some gate activity and expand storage capacity in the area.
The new interchange will start with some 20 truck lanes and is designed for expansion, GPA executive director Curtis Foltz said, adding that he expects the project to be completed by the end of 2015.
“If you think about the entire Garden City facility, it’s a perfect complement to support the Jimmy DeLoach Parkway extension and the Grange Road expansion,” Foltz said. “It will improve traffic flow to the terminal and lessen the pressure on gates 3 and 4.”
That’s important, he said, because Savannah is the only major gateway terminal in the U.S. that hasn’t experienced service challenges due to congestion in the last year.
“It’s something we’re really proud of and something we want to make sure continues moving forward,” he said.
Between its deep-water terminals in Savannah and Brunswick, the GPA moved a combined 2.8 million tons of freight in October, a new record. For the first four months of the fiscal year, the authority has moved 10.3 million tons, up 7.2 percent from the same period last year.
Garden City Terminal handled a record 37,432 twenty-foot equivalent units — or TEUs — in October, an increase of 13.6 percent over the same month last year. For the first four months of this fiscal year, GPA moved 1.2 million TEUs, an increase of 13.1 percent over the same period last year.
Meanwhile, the autoport in Brunswick has moved 224,197 roll-on/roll-off units this fiscal year. Combined with vehicles moved via Savannah’s Ocean Terminal, that number climbs to 232,009 units, a 3.4 percent increase for the fiscal year. Total roll on/roll off volumes for October equaled 63,218 units, a 1.4 percent increase over October 2013.
“GPA’s ability to handle record volumes with speed and efficiency is a powerful tool for economic development in the southeastern U.S.,” said GPA Board Chairman James Walters. “In order to accommodate continued growth, we are taking proactive steps to increase our capacity from 4.5 million TEUs per year to 6.5 million.”
GPA OCTOBER RECORDS
• 2.79 million tons of freight
• 311,759 TEUs
• 213,445 truck gate moves
• 31,238 containers moved via intermodal rail