Posted on February 20, 2025
BRUNSWICK, Ga. — U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, of Georgia’s 10th Congressional District, visited the Port of Brunswick Monday to assess its growth and address delays in a dredging project aimed at enhancing the port’s efficiency.
The dredging of waterways leading to the Brunswick ports hasn’t been done in nearly 18 years, a situation Collins believes must change due to the port’s impressive growth.
“We have to make sure that we keep this waterway, this channel dredged out to the right depth, the right width,” Collins said. “We can make sure that Brunswick stays the number one roll on roll off ports in this country, which it is.”
The United States Army Corps of Engineers had planned to deepen the waterways this year. However, emergency maintenance on their dredging equipment has postponed the project until 2026, according to the Corps.
This comes after the news that the Port of Brunswick is becoming the largest automotive port in the country, according to Georgia Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff. In a joint statement, the pair said:
“The Port of Brunswick is vital to Georgia’s economic growth. The sustained success and future expansion of port operations relies on timely and effective dredging of the harbor.”
When discussing potential solutions, Rep. Collins acknowledged that they are still trying to understand the situation fully but emphasized the urgency of finding a resolution.
“It’d be like me not changing the oil in my trucks after so long. The engine just doesn’t work anymore. And you’ve got a huge expense. And that’s just about where we are right here, right now. And, we need to go ahead and address this before it becomes even more of a major problem,” Collins said.
Despite the challenges, Collins noted that the Ports of Brunswick and Savannah have experienced positive growth, partly due to the Baltimore Bridge collapse in March 2024, but largely from local development.
“It (the bridge collapse) has had a positive impact,” Collins said. “The majority of the growth has been organic, and that is key. That tells you that they have business here.”
