The Georgia Ports Authority Board has voted to spend $127 million to build the Blue Ridge Connector, an inland rail terminal in Gainesville, Georgia, roughly 60 miles northeast of Atlanta and over 250 miles northwest of Savannah.
GPA says the inland terminal, which will open in 2026 and benefit companies involved in manufacturing heavy equipment, food and forest products, will link northeast Georgia with the Port of Savannah and its 35 global container ship services, according to a Tuesday release.
The port authority will fund the terminal through a mix of internal capital and a $46.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration. Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC) will provide access between the Gainesville terminal and GPA’s Mason Mega Rail terminal in Savannah.
“Georgia is among the fastest-growing states and consistently ranked among the top to do business,” NS Chief Marketing Officer Ed Elkins said in a Thursday release. “The Georgia Ports Authority is an important partner to Norfolk Southern, a gateway for our customers, and an engine for economic growth. We look forward to building on our strong relationship and helping our mutual customers grow.”
This project has been in the works for years, with FreightWaves writing about the plan in December 2018.
“This important investment will help our customers streamline their supply chains while reducing congestion on Georgia highways” since containers between Gainesville and Savannah will make that 600-mile round trip via rail instead of truck, GPA President and CEO Griff Lynch said in the release. The facility will also feature hybrid electric rubber tire gantry cranes.
The Blue Ridge Connector will be GPA’s second inland rail terminal in north Georgia. The Appalachian Regional Port, a joint effort between GPA, Murray County, the state of Georgia and CSX, opened in August 2018.
GPA says it has invested more than $374 million in rail capacity. That includes investments in this project as well as the Port of Savannah’s on-dock Mason Mega Rail Terminal and the Appalachian Regional Port in northwest Georgia. Approximately 18%-20% of GPA’s container cargo moves by rail, with the remainder handled by truck.
In addition to green-lighting funding for the Blue Ridge Connector, GPA’s board approved spending $44.5 million for a 300,000-square-foot facility at Garden City Terminal that will have offices and refrigeration facilities to support U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
“Our long-term partnership with CBP is important to the safe and secure operational flow of cargo through our gateway container terminal. This investment represents the next level of making future supply chains run smoother in Savannah,” said GPA Chairman Kent Fountain. GPA says Savannah has the only on-port CBP inspection facility in the U.S.
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