AASHTO Journal, 25 October 2013
Georgia state transportation officials recently broke ground on a project that will divert thousands of big trucks off area roadways and create a much-needed connection for those vehicles to service the Port of Savannah.
Elected officials joined Georgia Department of Transportation leaders last week to kick off the $72.8 million “last mile” Jimmy Deloach Connector Project. The project will extend the current Jimmy Deloach Parkway, first opened in 2002, to the Port of Savannah’s main gate, providing the estimated 8,000 trucks that visit the port each day a limited-access, four-lane route connecting I-95 and the port. The 3.1 mile connector is envisioned to improve efficiency in delivering goods from the port, especially after a deepening project is complete to accommodate larger cargo ships.
“The Deloach Connector shows the unprecedented level of cooperation and collaboration between Governor Deal, the Transportation and Ports Authority boards and Georgia DOT,” said Transportation Board Chairman Jay Shaw in a statement. “We all understand that so much of Georgia’s growth and prosperity are inextricably linked to the success of our ports and to our ability to complement them with the best surface logistics network in the nation. That is exactly what we are committed to do.”
The existing roadway and the new connector project is named in honor of former Chatham County Commissioner Jimmy Deloach, one of the roadway’s first advocates.
The connector will run roughly parallel to the busy State Route 21, and is scheduled to be completed by May 2016. For more information on all GDOT projects, click here.