Executive Director Lynch speaking at Savannah State of the Port event.
Photo: courtesy of GPA.
In the annual Savannah State of the Port address, Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) Executive Director Griff Lynch detailed GPA’s Mid-American Arc, a new strategic rail initiative that will focus on the growth of intermodal rail at the Port of Savannah.
“This enhancement of our rail capacity is a game-changer in the market to serve cities ranging in an arc from Atlanta to Memphis, St. Louis, Chicago and the Ohio Valley,” Lynch said. “Additional track will allow us to build unit trains, 10,000 feet long, completely on terminal, while reducing rail crossings and impact on the local community.”
The $128 million project will link Garden City Terminal’s two rail yards and grow the terminal’s rail lift capacity to approximately 1 million containers each year. A grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is funding $44 million of the project.
Lynch also announced that flooring retailer Floor & Decor will open a 1.4 million square-foot distribution center about 10 miles from the Port of Savannah. A second phase will add another 1.1 million square feet, for a total of 2.5 million square feet.
“This is a tremendous vote of confidence in the Georgia Ports Authority and the future of the fast-growing market of the U.S. Southeast,” remarked GPA Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood.
Brian Robbins, Floor & Decor’s executive vice president supply chain, said, "It’s just a great place to do business, especially when you look at the future investment being put into Savannah’s port and distribution business.”
Lynch also reported on the authority’s performance during Fiscal Year 2016, which ended in June. The GPA moved 31 million tons of cargo and 3.6 million 20-foot equivalent container units in Fiscal Year 2016. It is the second straight year that TEU volumes topped 3.6 million.