Gwinnett Dailly Post - Woodall Says Savannah Port Grant Example of New Infrastructure Goals

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By Curt Yeomans,

The Port of Savannah is getting $44 million from the federal government to do work on its on-dock container transfer facilities, U.S. Rep. Rob Woodall's office announced on Wednesday.

The congressman's office said a Fostering Advancements in Shipping and Transportation for the Long-Term Achievement of National Efficiencies -- or FASTLANE for short -- grant will be used to reconfigure and improve the facilities by moving rail switching activities in the port.

The grant program was established last year as part of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act.

"We knew going in that the FAST Act needed to be legislation that would reform how we go about prioritizing and spending money maintaining and expanding America's infrastructure, and in turn, start earning back America's trust in how we use their hard-earned tax dollars," said Woodall, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, in a statement.

"This grant, and others in FASTLANE, is a wonderful example of that effort taking shape. The Port of Savannah is one of the busiest ports in the country, which makes it the perfect candidate for what this program is intended to do: steer taxpayer dollars toward projects that matter most to America."

Officials are working to expand the port's capabilities, including deepening it, to handle larger cargo ships passing through the Panama Canal. The various infrastructure improvements are expected to lead to an increase in the amount of cargo passing through Georgia, including along the Interstate 85 corridor in Gwinnett.

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