Gov. Kemp, trio of U.S. Congressmen, support study of Savannah Harbor deepening during Port visit

Three U.S. Congressmen accompanied Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on a visit to the Georgia Ports Authority on Monday to show unified support for funding a new study on deepening the Savannah River channel less than two years after crews finished dredging the channel to 47 feet.

U.S. Reps Buddy Carter (R-St. Simons), Mike Collins (R-Jackson), and Sam Graves (R-Missouri) all serve on the U.S. House Committee that authorizes the Water Resources Development Act, which authorizes U.S. Army Corps of Engineers activities.

"If you're not moving forward, you're moving backward. We need to continue moving forward, and that's why we need this study so much," Carter said.

Graves, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, was asked by Carter and Collins to make the trip. Graves agreed to do so to demonstrate his his support for a deepening study.

The study is supported by every member of Congress from Georgia, including Sen. Raphael Warnock. The GPA says that the deepening is needed to accomodate larger ships, and the GPA signaled in October 2023 its ambition to study deepening the Savannah River's shipping channel another time.

The previous deepening wrapped up in March 2022, which came more than 25 years after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conducted a previous deepening study, according to reporting by the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Kemp sent a letter last year to Georgia's congressional delegation urging support of the deepening study. The continued growth of the Georgia Ports is crucial to servicing the state's growing economic development, Kemp said. He referenced in his remarks the Hyundai Metaplant in Bryan County, the state's largest economic development project in its history.

"We know that we must continue growing our ports to meet both the needs of our companies and our consumers," Kemp said. Towering some 50 yards behind him was a large container vessel donned with the words "Hyundai Drive."

Kemp also touted $1.5 billion in the state's 2024 amended budget for Georgia Department of Transportation projects. About $500 million of that is devoted to improving freight infrastructure.

GDOT's Coastal Empire Study showed that shipping times around the Port of Savannah would slow significantly if no capital improvements were made to surrounding corridors.

"Our economy is growing, been very fortunate, three record years in a row," Kemp said. "So, we're trying to keep up with it. The ports are a big part of it."

Evan Lasseter is the city and county government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at ELasseter@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Gov. Kemp, trio of U.S. Congressmen, support Savannah Harbor deepening