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Georgia port awarded $15M federal infrastructure grant for new docks, terminal upgrades

By RUSS BYNUM

Eugene Talmadge Memorial Bridge FILE: The Eugene Talmadge Memorial Bridge opened in 1991 and spans the Savannah River at the Georgia-South Carolina line. Cargo ships passing Savannah’s downtown riverfront must sail under the bridge to reach the Port of Savannah. (PHOTO: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

By RUSS BYNUM

SAVANNAH, Ga. — One of Georgia’s busy seaports is being awarded a $15 million federal grant to help pay for new docks and other upgrades at one of its shipping terminals, the state’s U.S. senators announced Wednesday.

The Port of Brunswick, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) south of Savannah, will receive the funding through a U.S. Department of Transportation grant funded by the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, Democratic Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock said.

“These upgrades to the Port of Brunswick will strengthen supply chains and support opportunity and prosperity in coastal Georgia and statewide,” Ossoff said in a news release.

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One of the nation’s fastest growing ports for imports and exports of automobiles and heavy machinery, Brunswick also handles bulk cargo such agricultural goods, paper and rubber. The infrastructure grant will fund improvements to the port’s East River Terminal, where bulk goods get loaded and unloaded from ships.

The project includes building a new 540-foot (165-meter) dock after demolishing the old one, as well as replacing half of a second dock on the site. The federal money will also help pay to install new electrical and water systems at the terminal and to dredge one berth to add depth for docking ships.

In a statement, Warnock said the port project will “ease vessel traffic and the flow of commerce at a major economic hub for our state.”

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The federal grant is expected to cover roughly half of the total cost of the terminal improvements, which the Georgia Ports Authority hopes to finish by 2027.

“This $15 million federal grant will enable Georgia grown forest products and other commodities to compete stronger in world markets through a competitive port,” Jamie McCurry, chief administrative officer for the Georgia Ports Authority, said in a statement.

The authority operates the state-owned seaports in Savannah and Brunswick. The grant award comes as the port authority is investing $262 million in upgrades and expansions for Brunswick to handle increased traffic. Meanwhile, the Army Corps of Engineers is working on a $17.5 million project to widen and deepen portions of Brunswick’s shipping channel.

A priority of President Joe Biden’s that passed Congress with support from both Democrats and Republicans, the infrastructure law is providing $1 trillion for roads, bridges, ports and rail transit as well as electrical grids and broadband internet.

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