Latest news with #GeorgiaPortsAuthority
Axios
28-05-2025
- Automotive
- Axios
Exclusive: Cavnue to create smart freight corridor near Savannah port
Cavnue, a developer of intelligent road technology, is launching a smart highway project along one of America's busiest freight corridors that connects to the Port of Savannah, Axios is first to report. Why it matters: The project to transform State Route 307 — the critical artery feeding the nation's third-largest container port — into a smart freight corridor could help ease congestion and reduce accidents. Longer term, the technology is intended to usher in a new era of automated freight movement. The big picture: Ports are busier than ever, but the roads connecting them haven't changed in decades. As the Georgia Ports Authority begins a $1.9 billion master plan to expand capacity to meet growing demand in Savannah, traffic problems are likely to worsen. Between the lines: The Savannah project is Cavnue's third smart highway. The Washington, D.C.-based subsidiary of Alphabet's Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners is building a similar intelligent freight corridor in Texas, and is preparing to extend its original smart highway on I-94 in Michigan. Cavnue's platform combines roadside hardware — sensors, computing and advanced communications equipment — with intelligent software to provide agencies with real-time data and insights about traffic, weather, debris and other road conditions. Cavnue is partnering with another company, Haas Alert, to share that information with approaching vehicles, giving drivers critical extra seconds to react and reduce crashes. Haas' Safety Cloud alerts are available today in Jeep, Dodge, RAM, Chrysler, and Volkswagen vehicles, as well as through navigation apps like Waze.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Port of Brunswick to receive $35 million for operations, maintenance
BRUNSWICK, Ga. (WSAV) — The Port of Brunswick will receive $35 million in additional funding for operations and maintenance, officials said Thursday. The Brunswick Port was named the nation's top port for automobiles and heavy equipment, in early February this year. Officials announced during the State of the Port that the port handled more than two million tons of roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) cargo. 'The Georgia Ports Authority is grateful that the Administration has prioritized the long-awaited funding necessary to properly maintain the Port of Brunswick,' President and CEO of the Georgia Ports Authority Griff Lynch said. 'We are further grateful for the extraordinary advocacy of Chairman Carter, Chairman Collins, and the entire Georgia Congressional delegation on behalf of this important gateway. As the largest and busiest port in the United States for handling automobiles and machinery, the maintenance of Brunswick's harbor is critical before vessel access to the port is limited.' Rep. Earl L. 'Buddy' Carter (R-GA) released a statement with the announcement and said that they have worked with the Corps to 'address unacceptable shortfalls in maintenance at the Port of Brunswick' on Thursday. Georgia's U.S. senators sought answers regarding the failure to dredge the port back in February. Dredging is essential to growth in the harbor, officials said. 'To date, the federal funding and procurement process has fallen short for both the annual maintenance dredging and the harbor modification project,' The Port's press release said.' It is imperative the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers identifies a workable solution for these projects of national significance.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Georgia state senator takes to Savannah's riverfront for Lieutenant Governor campaign launch
Georgia state Sen. Josh McLaurin said he was in Savannah to announce his bid for lieutenant governor of Georgia for two reasons. He then turned around and pointed to a set of towering cranes just beyond the Talmadge Bride in the background. "The first is right there," he said in a nod to the Georgia Ports Authority's container terminals. McLaurin made his announcement Monday on the Savannah River riverwalk, where he took aim at policies and initiatives spearheaded by President Donald Trump. At the top of McLaurin's list were tariffs such as the over 100% duty currently placed on China. Those and other import taxes will hurt Georgia's ports and small businesses, McLaurin said. McLaurin added that state leaders should be fighting those policies instead of "sucking up to Trump" like current state leaders are. "We need new leadership in Georgia that recognizes that this is destructive for working people. It's destructive for small business," McLaurin said. State news: Gov. Brian Kemp announces he will not be running for U.S. Senate in 2026 McLaurin's announcement came alongside endorsements from a slew of Georgia Democrats, according to a campaign press release. Included in that list were two Savannah Democrats: state Sen. Derek Mallow and Rep. Anne Allen Westbrook. Westbrook introduced McLaurin at his announcement event Monday. The Savannah representative said having a statewide candidate make their announcement on Georgia's coast was a significant acknowledgement. "I think it's huge. As a Savannah Democrat, we're used to being overlooked," Westbrook said. Savannah is also one of the state's most populous cities outside of the Atlanta metro area and is also a majority blue city. The same is true of Chatham County, where the Democratic candidate in 2022's lieutenant governor's race won with 56% of the vote. McLaurin reinforced the idea that Democrats need to treat statewide races as if they are truly statewide. That was reason number two for making his launch along the Savannah River, he said. "I'm here today on the coast in Savannah, Georgia, because all of Georgia matters," McLaurin said. The state's current lieutenant governor, Republican Burt Jones, is expected to vacate the seat and run for governor in 2026, according to reporting by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. So far, McLaurin is the first to throw his name in the race for Georgia's No. 2 spot. McLaurin enters the race with a steady run of experience in the state capitol. He was elected to the state House of Representatives in 2018 before winning his senate seat in 2022. McLaurin represents a district that covers north Fulton County in the Atlanta metro addition to being a state legislator, McLaurin is an attorney with Krevolin Horst Law Firm. He holds a law degree from Yale University, where he was once roommates with Vice President J.D. Vance. McLaurin is also a graduate of the University of Georgia. McLaurin said he is eager to get on the campaign trail. "I really look forward to spending the next 18 months getting to know the community of Savannah even better than I already do." Evan Lasseter is the city of Savannah and Chatham County government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at ELasseter@ or on X (formerly known as Twitter) @evanalasseter. This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Georgia state Senator launches Lt. Governor bid on Savannah's riverfront
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Port of Brunswick sees busiest month due to customers front-loading inventory ahead of new tariffs
The Port of Brunswick, now the nation's busiest for vehicles and heavy equipment, has set an all-time record for units of roll-on/roll-off cargo in March. The port handled 91,360 units of roll-on/roll-off cargo in March, up 18% or 14,125 units compared to the same month last year. Georgia Ports Authority President and CEO Griff Lynch said the higher volume was influenced by customers front-loading orders to avoid new tariffs. The port's terminal also served a record 65 vessel calls last month, up from 52 in March 2024, thanks in part to service from two new ocean carriers. To better handle growing trade, Phase I of a new railyard at the port will be completed in May 2025. The new railyard will double rail capacity from five to ten trains per week. That addition will increase the port's annual rail capacity from approximately 150,000 autos to more than 340,000. Phase II will bring the annual rail capacity to 590,000 units. Lynch said the additional capacity will allow for more inland routings for greater supply chain flexibility. More than 90% of vehicles moving by rail in Brunswick are U.S.-made exports. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: North Georgia school staff member fired after writing racial slur on the board Did you see the trail of lights in the sky? This is what they are… Georgia's university system is combining two schools [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Port of Brunswick named busiest port for automobiles, heavy equipment
The Port of Brunswick was named the busiest port for automobiles and heavy equipment. You can bet people at the Port of Brunswick and Port of Savannah are watching today's tariff announcements by President Donald Trump closely. Channel 2 Action News got access to the Port of Brunswick to see construction there just a week before they took over the top spot in the United States for vehicle and heavy equipment shipping, surpassing Baltimore. 'We have anywhere from 2,500 to 4,500 cars coming off any one of these ships,' Ed McCarthy, the Chief Operating Officer of the Georgia Ports Authority, said. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] One after another, Channel 2 Action News saw cars being offloaded during a tour with the GPA leader. 'These ships come to us from all over the world, bringing import vehicles,' McCarthy said. TRENDING STORIES: Atlanta Braves purchase another 34 acres near the Battery Trump is set to announce new tariffs as he takes a political and financial gamble Georgia Democrats walk out of legislative session in protest of ban on gender-affirming care Brunswick's story involves exports too, with American goods headed to other countries and leaving our ports for profit. In fact, more than 90% of the cars moved by rail at the port are U.S.-made exports. That's earned the port federal money for construction upgrades and hiring, though Georiga ports are largely self-funded. 'No we do not use tax dollars,' McCarthy said. 'Revenue and all of the expenses, and then we take whatever profits are left over, and we pour that back into capital projects to build the $262 million that we're expanding down here in Brunswick.' The directive to do so is from Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, and the investments are now making the Port of Brunswick the top railroad port in the United States for roll-on, roll-off vehicles. That brings in money and thousands of jobs. 'A port job is a great job to have. We're blessed to have almost 1,800 employees at the port,' McCarthy said. 'But it really impacts over half a million jobs in the state of Georgia. But a port job is a great job.' Just a little north of Brunswick, the Port of Savannah is also reporting increased volume. In December, it reported an 11.4% year-over-year increase. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
