Port of Savannah sets record 2 years before forecast, concerns increase about impact on Metro Atlanta roads and rails (White: 2015, lease)

[Born 2 Roll]

The Port of Savannah set a new container handling record in March 2015, making that month the busiest month ever at the seaport a full two years before forecast.

The Port of Savannah handled a record 333,058 containers during the month of March 2015, a level of volume that the fast-growing busy international seaport was not expected to handle until sometime in 2017 or 2018.

What is even more astonishing about the extremely high and rising volume of freight containers at Savannah is that the port is handling this high volume of freight even BEFORE the expansion of the Panama Canal is completed, which is expected to occur no earlier than December of this year (2015).

SaportaReport | Savannah port to handle more freight, but how will roads, rails handle extra load?

From the link above:

The Savannah port handled more containers in March than ever before. This high a number of containers was not forecast until 2017, he said.

The port surpassed its previous record by more than 21,000 containers. It handled 333,058 containers in March; it handled 274,363 containers in October, according to port records.

“It was a volume we were not anticipating until 2017, 2018, and we were still able to handle it,” Foltz said. “March was an outstanding month for us.

These numbers weren’t expected until after the Panama Canal opens its expanded facilities and big boats pass through, enroute from Asia to the East Coast.

Foltz said he expects shippers to continue using the Port of Savannah as global trade increases, especially in light of the port’s handling of record volume in March. Savannah is well positioned to be the southeastern hub for the rising amount of global trade.

If Metro Atlanta's road and freight rail networks are already struggling (at times mightily) to handle the current amount of freight traffic that the Port of Savannah generates, then how will the metro area's road and freight rail network fare after the Panama Canal expansion generates even more freight traffic on area roads and rails?

Also, what can and should be done to help Metro Atlanta handle what appears could be crushing increases in the amount of freight traffic on the region's already-overloaded road and rail networks?

[alco89]

Ahh, our officials will worry about it when it's too late, like they do with everything else. Unless our rails and roads are at 100% gridlock, just keep on keeping on. Planning ahead? What's that??

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

If Metro Atlanta's road and freight rail networks are already struggling (at times mightily) to handle the current amount of freight traffic that the Port of Savannah generates, then how will the metro area's road and freight rail network fare after the Panama Canal expansion generates even more freight traffic on area roads and rails?

Also, what can and should be done to help Metro Atlanta handle what appears could be crushing increases in the amount of freight traffic on the region's already-overloaded road and rail networks?

Do they need more freight rail tracks or more handling facilities or both?

[bu2]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Do they need more freight rail tracks or more handling facilities or both?

There's a lot of detail in the linked report from 2012.

Some handling facilities, some double tracking, some "improvements." They have problems with weight limits and height clearances on some of the lines.

I found it interesting they rated the western by-pass so low in the report. The Chattanooga bypass was rated really high. It seemed like it was a narrow focus-just on the people using it and not on the impact of the people who didn't have to deal with all those trucks not in other places. If you drive on 285, its hard not to imagine a massive improvement in traffic flow if most of those 18 wheelers just passing through were somewhere else.

[Ha-Mez]

Question- would GDOT help finance improvements to CSX and Norfolk Southern's rail line capacity in exchange for CSX and Norfolk Southern allowing commuter rail on their lines? That seems like a fair trade to me.

[UrbanConquistador]

Originally Posted by alco89

Ahh, our officials will worry about it when it's too late, like they do with everything else. Unless our rails and roads are at 100% gridlock, just keep on keeping on. Planning ahead? What's that??

Sad, but true...

[arjay57]

Looks like the Savannah port expansion news is not so good.

The Obama administration on Tuesday requested $42.7 million for continued construction of the Savannah Harbor expansion project, far less than what Georgia boosters wanted for the state’s largest economic development project.

More...Obama’s $42.7 million Savannah Port expansion proposal disappoints project boosters | Political Insider

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Looks like the Savannah port expansion news is not so good.

All that I can say is that Georgia's state government and congressional leadership can't have it both ways when it comes to federal budgetary issues as seen in the following article where Georgia's congressional delegation expressed their displeasure with President Obama's budget proposal for the 2017 fiscal year.

Georgia Republicans quickly dismiss Obama’s last budget proposal...
Georgia Republicans quickly dismiss Obama’s last budget proposal | Political Insider blog

I mean, Georgia's congressional delegation cannot talk down and shoot down federal budget spending for everyone else while expecting the White House to pony up $440 million for their own pet project.

Georgia's Republican-dominated state government and congressional delegation has basically had an adversarial relationship with President Obama's Democratic-controlled administration during his entire two terms in office.

So I find it particularly ironic that Georgia's Republican-led congressional delegation sharply criticizes the president's spending proposals while expecting the president to give them 10 times the amount of money...out of a proposed budget that they just criticized for too much spending....I'm just saying.

Instead of basically begging a presidential administration that they cannot stand, maybe Georgia's should be willing to either...

A) Wait until a Republican is elected to the White House...

B) At least attempt to maintain a better working relationship with the executive branch should the Democrats be re-elected back to the White House, or...

C) Find another avenue of financing and funding the expansion of the Savannah port....Another avenue of financing and funding like having the State of Georgia pay for the project itself with its own funds out of its own state budget or pay for the project with a large-scale P3 (Public-Private Partnership) like is done at some major ports on other parts of the planet.

...A P3 like a lease of the Port of Savannah out to a private partner where the private partner (or partners) gets to collect all of the revenues from for the port for X number of years in exchange for paying all of the construction, capital and maintenance costs during the life of the lease contract.

[Atlwarrior]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

All that I can say is that Georgia's state government and congressional leadership can't have it both ways when it comes to federal budgetary issues as seen in the following article where Georgia's congressional delegation expressed their displeasure with President Obama's budget proposal for the 2017 fiscal year.



I mean, Georgia's congressional delegation cannot talk down and shoot down federal budget spending for everyone else while expecting the White House to pony up $440 million for their own pet project.

Georgia's Republican-dominated state government and congressional delegation has basically had an adversarial relationship with President Obama's Democratic-controlled administration during his entire two terms in office.

So I find it particularly ironic that Georgia's Republican-led congressional delegation sharply criticizes the president's spending proposals while expecting the president to give them 10 times the amount of money...out of a proposed budget that they just criticized for too much spending....I'm just saying.

Instead of basically begging a presidential administration that they cannot stand, maybe Georgia's should be willing to either...

A) Wait until a Republican is elected to the White House...

B) At least attempt to maintain a better working relationship with the executive branch should the Democrats be re-elected back to the White House, or...

C) Find another avenue of financing and funding the expansion of the Savannah port....Another avenue of financing and funding like having the State of Georgia pay for the project itself with its own funds out of its own state budget or pay for the project with a large-scale P3 (Public-Private Partnership) like is done at some major ports on other parts of the planet.

...A P3 like a lease of the Port of Savannah out to a private partner where the private partner (or partners) gets to collect all of the revenues from for the port for X number of years in exchange for paying all of the construction, capital and maintenance costs during the life of the lease contract.

Spot on Born 2 Roll. Great points!

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by Ha-Mez

Question- would GDOT help finance improvements to CSX and Norfolk Southern's rail line capacity in exchange for CSX and Norfolk Southern allowing commuter rail on their lines? That seems like a fair trade to me.

Been pushing for this for a while. They might, but it doesn't seem to be a public deal being made if anyone at the state has been working on it.

Then again, they might not. MARTA and NS have struck a deal to look at building commuter rail along side, but not interacting with, NS right of way. NS seems would rather allow other agencies to build along, but not in addition to, existing rail.