Georgia Ports Authority plans to open its newest inland port, at Gainesville, on the northeast edge of greater Atlanta, in May. GPA says it will strengthen Northeast Georgia’s attractiveness and business competitiveness with a direct connection to Savannah’s forty ships per week global ocean carrier network. That means domestic US manufacturers can reach international markets more efficiently, claims the Authority.
Rail freight services will provide a five-day-a-week connection between Northeast Georgia and Savannah. The alternative, says the GPA, is a 600-mile round-trip by road. The Authority says the rail terminal will improve safety by reducing trucks on Georgia’s highways and in the Atlanta region, and reduce congestion.
200,000 container capacity
GPA is working with rail freight operator Norfolk Southern and will replace an estimated 26,000 return journeys by road per annum. “We’re already seeing positive customer engagement and Norfolk Southern will bring an excellent level of service working together with GPA,” said Georgia Ports President and CEO Griff Lynch.
At full build-out, the US$134m Gainesville Inland Port (formerly known as the Blue Ridge Connector) will have an annual capacity of 200,000 containers. GPA has funded US$4.8m in local rail and road projects, including eliminating an at-grade rail crossing.
Infrastructure investments shaping the future
Gainesville Inland Port is just the spearhead of a huge investment programme from GPA. Nearly US$5 billion is planned for infrastructure investment over the next decade to expand berths, yards, gates, inland ports and rail capacity. “New infrastructure assets take planning and time to build,” said GPA Board Chairman Alec Poitevint. “We believe in a steady investment that delivers port capacity ahead of our customers’ future needs.”
At the port end of the project, GPA is pumping US$1.6 billion into the renovation of Ocean Terminal container yard in Savannah. Phase one of that project will open in July 2027. Phase two follows by December 2028. The Authority says the “dock will stretch nearly 2,700 feet, allowing two large ships to dock simultaneously. A new gate complex at Ocean Terminal with twelve inbound and six outbound lanes will open by November 2026, while a new GPA-funded US$29m overpass is open now, enabling trucks to enter straight onto the I-16 corridor (interstate highway), keeping traffic off neighbourhood streets”.
Year-to-date cargo volumes
For the fiscal year to date (1 July 2025 – 28 February 2026), the Port of Savannah has handled 3.73m TEU container units, down 0.2 per cent or 8,500 TEUs compared to the same period last year. February volumes reached 445,214 TEU, a decrease of seven per cent or 34,633 TEU. Savannah claims to be the biggest single container terminal in America.
Over the fiscal year to date, at the Port of Brunswick, where significant dredging work has taken place, GPA reports that the Colonels Island Terminal has handled 504,535 units of Ro-Ro cargo, down 11.4% or approximately 64,800 units. In February, the same facility handled 49,707 Ro-Ro units, down 19.4%or 11,960 units. Of that trade, 2,660 units were heavy machinery, down 35%, or 1,440 units compared to February 2025. GPA anticipate cargo volumes slowing down and forecasts a drop in volumes for the remaining four months of this fiscal year.