Posted on May 5, 2021
Newly elected senator says he is committed to keeping Port of Savannah at ‘top of the agenda’
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) visited the Georgia Ports Authority for the first time on Tuesday, where he talked about the importance of securing funding to finish the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project.
The $973 million deepening is on schedule to be completed by end of this year, Ossoff confirmed during his remarks. The project has been in the works since the 1990s, and the dredging of the 32-mile channel from 42 feet to 47 feet began in 2015.
The project is funded through the end of the federal government fiscal year on Sept. 30. Approximately $100 million more will be needed in upcoming budget cycles, according to a GPA spokesperson.
“As we move forward the passage of a major infrastructure bill in Congress this year, the timely and full completion of the deepening of the Port of Savannah must be at the top of the agenda, and I will ensure that it’s at the top of the agenda,” Ossoff said.
Ossoff’s afternoon appearance at the port was part of a tour across the state, which included stops at the Hanwha Q Cells solar panel manufacturing plant near Dalton, the SK Innovation Electric Vehicle Battery Plant in Commerce, and in Valdosta to brief leaders on efforts to expand transit options and inspect Valdosta’s new microtransit program.
“It’s great to be here today as I embark across the state to discuss the vital investments in infrastructure that we must make now as a nation and a state, and the harbor expansion project here at the Port of Savannah is one of the most vital infrastructure projects in the United States,” Ossoff said.
After their busiest February ever, the Georgia Ports Authority Board approved $205 million for capital improvement projects at its March meeting. Those upgrades would increase the Port of Savannah’s container capacity by 20%.
The expansion is made necessary by increased container volumes during the pandemic, which has people ordering more items online. Since last fall, GPA has seen significant growth in categories such as machinery, appliances and electronics; hardware and houseware; food, furniture, apparel and textiles.
Ossoff said he has emphasized, in meetings both public and private, the importance of the completion of the project with staffers and President Joe Biden himself.
Ossoff said the coming infrastructure bill will not only help complete the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, also known as SHEP, but the measure will also include investments in transit and transportation, sewer and water, and economic development.
“We’re looking at this summer as a ripe opportunity for passage of a major infrastructure bill, and I share GPA’s leadership’s ambition that the deepening project should be completed by the end of this year,“ he said.
Sen. Ossoff also hosted a student roundtable discussion at Savannah State University Tuesday night, where he took questions from students and staff on his work. He also briefed leaders and students at the AUC Consortium in Atlanta on major investments he has secured for Georgia’s HBCUs.
Additionally, Ossoff announced that the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System would be receiving $95.2 million for school re-opening as a part of the American Rescue Plan, part of a $4 billion package divided among every public school system in the state. The district was expecting as much as $99 million.
“We face a turning point in our country’s history right now. We have to reassert American greatness, American strength and American vision by making generational investments in infrastructure and clean energy. When we talk about infrastructure and clean energy, Georgia is leading the way,” he said.
