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Liberty OKs Greenway project participation
Venture is expected to support 1,400 jobs
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Last week, the Chatham County Board of Commissioners threw its support behind the Coastal Georgia Greenway project, a 155-mile stretch that would include various trails that start in South Carolina, wind through coastal Georgia and end in Florida.
On Tuesday evening, the Liberty County Commission also agreed to be involved in the project, which is expected to help generate tourism through the CGG project.
Construction expenditures are expected to be around $100 million. The project also will support 1,400 jobs, generating $53.1 million in labor income, $158 million in business revenue and $3.7 million in tax revenue.
Rachel Hatcher, Liberty Consolidated Planning Commission transportation and land-use planner, said regional entities have been discussing the project since 1997.
“The newest addition is between all counties and cities within a six-county area in the Coastal Georgia Greenway that are being applied for on behalf of Chatham County for the CGG construction and the Transportation Investment Act of 2010,” said Hatcher, who also is a CGG board member. “TIA is a 10-year tax collection timeline and if approved by voters on the final list of projects, it will be programmed as funding is collected.”
The TIA, also known as House Bill 277, would levy a 1-percent sales tax within defined special tax districts to fund transportation projects. Projects will be discussed during regional transportation roundtables, which will be attended by every county commission chairperson and mayors from the involved counties. A roundtable executive, appointed by the roundtable, would determine which projects make it to the final approved list for voters.
If the project is passed, the Greenway trail is expected to be finished by 2020 and will run through Liberty, Chatham, Bryan, Darien, Brunswick and Camden counties. It also would link nine cities: Savannah, Richmond Hill, Midway, Riceboro, Darien, Brunswick, Woodbine, Kingsland and St. Marys.
Also by 2020, the Armstrong Atlantic State University Center for Regional Analysis expects the project will generate expenditures between $25 to $30 per day, per user, and will increase the adjacent property value by 5-10 percent.
To date, the resolution has been approved for Liberty and Chatham counties and the cities of Richmond Hill, Kingsland and St. Marys.
The project will allow residents access to an “alternative transportation route for distance cycling, a new destination activity and alternative transportation by linking existing trails; building new bicycle/pedestrian facilities along abandoned rail corridors, historic barge and drainage canals, ferries and highway rights-of-way; and linking to Amtrak, local bus stops and ferries while connecting South Carolina to Florida through coastal Georgia,” states a Georgia Department of Transportation Unconstrained Investment List Project Submittal Form.
“The project has been around a long time and has longstanding support,” said Jo Claire Hickson, executive director of Coastal Georgia Greenway Inc. “It is hoped that we will get 100 percent support, and if we do, the project may or may not make the final cut to be listed on the ballot for voter approval.” 
Although it will take some time to develop such a project, nature and outdoor enthusiasts in Liberty and surrounding counties will have a safe trail for activities like walking, biking and hiking.  Coordinators said the project also takes public safety into account as the trail should reduce the number of bicycle accidents. Many of the bicycle facilities along the roadways do not currently meet the safety standards required by the Department of Transportation.
Other organizations in support of the CGG include the East Coast Greenway Alliance, the Savannah Jaycees, The College of Coastal Georgia and the Jekyll Island Authority, according to a Coastal Georgia Greenway news release.
“It is very exciting to see a project that can positively impact the quality of life for our citizens and encourage tourism in Liberty County,” Hatcher said. “This project will bring new opportunities to Midway and Riceboro that supports their master plans and will encourage multi-modal travel throughout our county. With increases to adjacent property values, promotion of community activity and physical activity for our youth, and increased traffic from eco-tourism, this project will bring great things to our home.”

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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.

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