By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Gas line being run to Tradeport East
TPE Entrance
Tradeport East Business Center is east of Midway, off Islands Highway.

Liberty County’s Tradeport East Business Center is expected to benefit from a $46 million expansion of Atlanta Gas Light Company’s Strategic Infrastructure Development and Enhancement customer-growth program.
Funding for the STRIDE project, which aims to expand the natural-gas system into underserved communities statewide, unanimously was approved Dec. 12 by the Public Service Commission.  
A 9.8-mile high-pressure gas line to serve Tradeport East will be the first of several expansion projects during the next several years, according to the company.
Liberty County Development Authority CEO Ron Tolley said the PSC action will help to fill a need for long-term development of the park.
“We are pleased to hear that our project has been approved and is the first slated for construction, and we appreciate the support from the Public Service Commission and Atlanta Gas Light for industrial growth within Liberty County,” Tolley said. “We feel this utility expansion will make us more competitive in attracting jobs and investments.”
The gas line will join another recent investment in utilities for Tradeport East. The Georgia Transmission Corporation this year put in a 115-kilovolt transmission line between Bryan and Liberty counties that placed Tradeport East on a radial feed to increase service reliability for industrial tenants.
Tradeport East last month welcomed its fourth tenant, Pactra International Co., which will distribute Hankook tires throughout 10 Southeastern states.
The park also is home to a Target regional distribution center, a Tire Rack distribution center and Firth Rixson Forgings, a United Kingdom-based company that forges metal products for the aerospace industry.

Sign up for our e-newsletters
GPA grows trade, market share
Intermodal volume up 20 percent
port photo
Rubber tired gantry cranes handle cargo at the Chatham Intermodal Container Transfer Facility at the Port of Savannah. The Georgia Ports Authority's Mason Mega Rail project will double rail lift capacity to 1 million containers per year by 2020 - photo by Provided

The Georgia Ports Authority achieved 14 percent growth in March container volumes, moving 355,208 20-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers.

From July 2017 to March, TEU container trade grew by 9 percent, or 255,786 additional units for a total of 3.08 million, a new record for Savannah.

"Savannah's continued strength is a reflection of our customers' commitment, Georgia's leadership, and the many dedicated service providers, GPA employees and ILA members who come together every day to achieve great things," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "March marked our 17th consecutive month of business expansion thanks, in part, to a strong economy and growing market share."

Intermodal rail volumes jumped by 20 percent in March and 15.4 percent for the fiscal year to date, for a total of 318,454 containers handled over nine months – another record for the GPA.

"As the numbers show, our rail cargo is growing at a faster pace than our overall trade," GPA Chairman Jimmy Allgood said. "This is important because rail is playing a key role in our responsible growth strategy. We anticipate our rail infrastructure investments to take 250,000 trucks off the road each year by 2020."

The GPA recently broke ground on its Mason Mega Rail Terminal, on which the Port of Savannah will build 10,000-foot unit trains within its own footprint. From the expanded rail infrastructure at Garden City Terminal, Class I rail providers CSX and Norfolk Southern will provide direct rail service to major Southeast and Midwestern markets from Memphis to St. Louis, Chicago to Cincinnati.

An added benefit is that the Mason Mega Rail project will move all rail switching on terminal – improving vehicle traffic flow around the port.

In August, the GPA will open its Appalachian Regional Port in Murray County. Located in an industrial belt, including the production and export of carpet and flooring, automobiles and tires, the ARP will provide an alternative to all-truck transit to Northwest Georgia.

Each round-trip container moved via the Appalachian Regional Port will offset 710 truck miles on Georgia highways.

March was also a strong month for roll-on/roll-off auto and machinery units at the Port of Brunswick and Ocean Terminal in Savannah. Colonel's Island Terminal in Brunswick handled 66,144 cars, trucks and tractors, while Ocean Terminal added 4,050, for a total 70,194, a 17.2 percent increase.

"The global economy is thriving and our volumes are following suit," Lynch said. "As existing accounts grow their footprint in the expanding auto facility in Brunswick, Georgia's competitive logistical advantages are drawing additional business across all of our docks."

Lynch noted that for the fiscal year to date, Mayor's Point breakbulk terminal in Brunswick grew by 44 percent (34,515 tons) to reach 112,728 tons of forest products. At East River Terminal, bulk cargo expanded by 34 percent July-March (189,918 tons) for a total of 750,384 tons.

Latest Obituaries