Sen. Johnny Isakson: Applauds Signing of Final Deal to Deepen Savannah Harbor

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Isakson Applauds Signing of Final Deal to Deepen Savannah Harbor

Project agreement will allow construction for Port of Savannah project to begin this year

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today praised the signing of a Project Partnership Agreement between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Georgia Department of Transportation and the Georgia Ports Authority, allowing construction on the long-awaited Savannah Harbor Expansion Project to begin.

“I am pleased an agreement has been signed to authorize the start of one of the largest infrastructure projects in the history of the Southeast and our state,” said Isakson. “This is huge for Georgia and our economy and will bring more and more jobs to our state. I’ve been very proud to be a part of the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, and I commend the hard work and partnership of Governor Deal, Senator Chambliss and Congressman Jack Kingston to make sure this project becomes a reality.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates that the harbor deepening project will bring $174 million in annual net benefits to the United States. For the Post-Panamax II vessels, the extra five feet of depth will allow for an additional 3,600 cargo containers in each transit, an increase of 78 percent.

The deepening project will cost approximately $706 million, including construction and environmental mitigation costs. As a part of this cost-sharing agreement, the Corps will be able to use the 40 percent share of state funds to begin construction while it awaits congressional appropriations for the remaining 60 percent of federal funding. The state has already set aside $266 million – its total state share for the project.