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Port of Savannah project will increase available space for containers by 1.55 million units
Port of Savannah
A $29 million overpass funded by Georgia Ports routes trucks from the Port of Savannah’s Ocean Terminal onto U.S. 17/Interstate 16, avoiding neighborhood streets. The nearly $1.6 billion renovation of Ocean Terminal will allow the 200-acre facility to handle up to 1.75 million twenty-foot equivalent container units per year.

Renovations totaling $1.6 billion at the Port of Savannah’s Ocean Terminal will allow the 200-acre facility to grow its annual container capacity from 200,000 container units to 1.75 million units.

“Growth in population and manufacturing across the Southeast means we must be ready to meet future demand,” said Georgia Ports President and CEO Griff Lynch. “Improving Ocean Terminal now will allow us to continue the efficient flow of cargo between our docks and inland markets that customers rely on.”

The port has upgraded the first of two berths at Ocean Terminal, which serves working ships and as an optional staging area for Garden City Terminal. When a berth opens at Savannah’s main container port, the ship can move there right away.

Work on the second berth is expected to be finished later in June, accommodating two large vessels simultaneously. Upon completion, the docks will span a total of 2,650 feet. GPA will continue to work only smaller vessels at Ocean Terminal until the first phase of the container yard renovation is complete. The first half of the renovated yard will open in mid-fall 2027, with the entire yard completed by the end of 2028.

Until the first half of the yard is ready, the docks will also be available as lay berths. From this staging area, vessels of any size can quickly move to open berths at the 1,500-acre Garden City Terminal, where cargo will be moved on and off.

Truck access and traffic flow also will benefit from the Ocean Terminal renovations. The new gate structure is now 80 percent complete, with the first components open to traffic. By November 2026, the gate will feature 12 inbound and six outbound lanes.

Port officials said the expanded gates improve efficiency, while a $29 million Georgia Ports–funded overpass now routes departing trucks directly to U.S. 17 and Interstate 16, bypassing neighborhood streets. Incoming trucks use a U.S. 17 offramp with a signalized intersection, providing uninterrupted interstate access between Savannah and Metro Atlanta.

Lynch said the improvements at Ocean Terminal are part of GPA’s port master plan. He said over the next 10 years, Georgia Ports plans to invest $5 billion in capacity enhancements to support future supply chain requirements.