Georgia Congressman Buddy Carter (R-GA-01) has been working with the U.S. Department of Transportation to secure funding to expand operations at the Brunswick Port. Wednesday, Carter announced that the agency is authorizing $14.6 million to the Georgia Ports Authority for the project that will include construction of a new vessel berth needed to handle the growing volume of U.S. automotive exports and imports moving through the Port.
“This is exactly the type of strategic, targeted investment that will alleviate the supply chain crunch at our Ports and help Georgia maintain its status as a world-class shipping leader,” said Carter.
Specifically, the funding will go towards constructing “a fourth roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessel berth at the Port of Brunswick’s Colonel’s Island Terminal in order to add needed capacity at the nation’s second busiest Ro-Ro cargo port and more efficiently accommodate the larger 7,000-plus-unit vehicle carrier vessels that are becoming the industry standard for Ro-Ro ships calling at U.S. ports,” according to the announcement by DOT.
Carter wrote a letter to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg back in June urging him to approve this grant, citing “the growing volume of U.S. automotive exports at the Port,” and the project’s potential to create “immediate and long-term family wage jobs.”
He wrote, “Colonel’s Island Auto Terminal presently has 637 acres that are leased or sold to auto processors or OEM’s. There is an additional 472 acres available that have been permitted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for development of new Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro/Ro) business.”
Carter went on to say in the letter that several auto manufacturing plants throughout the U.S. are directly connected to Colonel’s Island by way of these rail networks — allowing thousands of new U.S. made vehicles to be exported around the world each month.
Carter concluded the letter by stating, “It will yield significant long-term economic benefits for Georgia, and the Southeastern United States region, as well as the entire nation.”
Following the announcement Carter said, “Taxpayer dollars should benefit the taxpayers. This grant will create generations of good-paying, in-demand jobs that will further attract businesses, people, and workers to Georgia’s First District.
“I thank former President Trump for advocating for this legislation and the Georgia Ports Authority for their innovation and leadership, which made today’s grant announcement possible.”
