With the president’s signing today of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014, the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP) is authorized to begin construction.
As more of the world’s cargo moves on larger ships, the nation’s ports must be ready to accept them, the president said, Mentioning the Port of Savannah by name.
“This bill will create jobs and strengthen our national infrastructure,” Obama said. “It will allow the deepening of the harbors in Boston and at the Port of Savannah. These projects can now move forward.”
“With today’s action, SHEP has officially received a green light,” said Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis Foltz. “This project is the result of an open and collaborative process involving all interested stakeholders which received approval of multiple regulatory agencies. We would like to thank the administration, our elected officials in Washington and Georgia, Senator Isakson, Congressman Kingston, Governor Deal and all of those who worked tirelessly to reach this critical milestone.”
The next step calls for Georgia to enter a Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, defining how the costs of the project estimated at $706 million will be shared between the state and federal government. Foltz said he expects to have a binding agreement within 90 days, allowing accelerated use of Georgia’s portion of the funding. These funds will be credited against the state’s ultimate cost share at the end of construction.
Seeing the port deepening through to final authorization has been a top priority for GPA Board Chairman Robert Jepson during his two years leading the board.
“The harbor deepening is recognized across Georgia as the state’s most important infrastructure project in terms of future economic development,” Jepson said. “Because Gov. Nathan Deal and the General Assembly had the foresight to set aside $266 million toward construction, we will be able to start the project this year using state funds.”
Return to savannahnow.com or see Wednesday’s Savannah Morning News for additional information.