Georgia Ports Authority to have new inland teminal in 2018
Gov. Nathan Deal, the Georgia Ports Authority, Murray County and CSX Transportation signed a Memorandum of Agreement today, establishing the Appalachian Regional Port in Chatsworth, Ga. Its service area will include North Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and parts of Kentucky, the GPA press release said.
"This new inland terminal will open the door for economic opportunity and job creation for Northwest Georgia and the region," said Gov. Deal. "By providing a direct link to the Port of Savannah, the Appalachian Regional Port will create and expand international markets for businesses, and further the economic success of the Southeastern U.S."
Murray County Commissioner Brittany Pittman said the inland terminal is also a big win for economic development in her area.
Operated by the Georgia Ports Authority, the Appalachian Regional Port will deliver goods more efficiently to the GPA's Garden City Terminal, the second busiest container port on the East Coast behind New York-New Jersey.
Port officials estimate the CSX rail route will reduce Atlanta truck traffic by 40,000 moves annually, creating a new intermodal option to and from the deepwater Port of Savannah. Each container moved by rail to the Appalachian Regional Port will offset 355 truck miles on Georgia highways.
The Appalachian Regional Port will be Georgia's second facility of this kind. In 2013, Gov. Deal, Cordele Intermodal Services and the GPA signed a memorandum of understanding for the Cordele Inland Port. The Cordele facility handles cotton, clay, lumber and other agribusiness exports for customers in Georgia, Alabama and Florida.
The new inland port will sit on 42 acres in Northwest Georgia's Murray County and feature on-terminal rail. The site is adjacent to U.S. 411 and features easy access to Interstate 75. The facility will handle import, export and domestic cargo.
The Appalachian Regional Port will open by 2018 with an annual capacity of 50,000 containers. A 10-year development plan will then double that capacity.