The federal spending bill approved by Congress this week and signed into law by the president Friday contains language that could make work to deepen the Savannah harbor a reality in the near future.
The bill allows the U.S Army Corps of Engineers and the state of Georgia to move ahead with a cost-sharing agreement, the last remaining step before construction to deepen the Savannah Harbor can begin.
“This essentially moves the project from the planning category to the construction category,” said Georgia Congressman Jack Kingston, R-Savannah, who added the language to the bill.
“There is no longer any gray area. In the eyes of the Senate and the House, this is now an ongoing construction project,” the Savannah Republican said, adding that it’s also on the president’s list of “We Can’t Wait” projects to be fast-tracked.
In his “We Can’t Wait,” initiative, announced in March 2012, the president listed seven “nationally and regionally significant infrastructure projects” at five major ports, promising to put each on a fast track designed to save time and drive better outcomes for local communities.
The Savannah District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, could not be reached for comment Friday night.
Georgia Sen. Johnny Isakson, who voted for the bill, applauded the latest development.
“I voted for the omnibus appropriations bill because it contained several key provisions that are critically important to Georgians and the economic future of our state.
“This package includes language that will help us make progress with Georgia’s No. 1 economic development project — the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project,” Isakson said.
Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis Foltz praised Georgia’s legislative delegation for “their unrelenting efforts” to see the harbor deepening to fruition.
“This has been a lengthy process, to say the least,” Foltz said. “We would not be nearly as close to the goal line today if not for their determination.”
Savannah’s harbor expansion project, which will deepen the Savannah River channel from 42 to 47 feet in anticipation of the larger container ships coming through an expanded Panama Canal in 2015, was originally approved by Congress in the Water Resources Development Act of 1999.
From delays and study rewrites to environmental issues and lawsuits, the 15-year path to an additional 5 feet of water has been anything but smooth.
Even with swift approval of the cost-sharing agreement and construction beginning by mid summer, it’s estimated the project won’t be complete until 2018 at the earliest.
The expanded Panama Canal, now four years into construction and 72 percent complete, is expected to be finished in 2015. But the $5 billion-plus project faces the prospect of an almost immediate work stoppage in a financial dispute over cost overruns.
The Spanish-led consortium hired to handle the biggest part of the canal expansion says it will halt work by Monday if the canal authority doesn’t come up with the funds to cover $1.6 billion in cost overruns, while the authority insists the consortium live up to the terms of the original contract.
Whether work is delayed on the canal or not, it’s important for GPA to show its customers that the deepening of the Savannah River is moving forward, Foltz said.
“We work very hard to keep our customers satisfied,” he said. “They know where we are on our deepening project and they are looking forward to bringing bigger ships into Savannah.”