WASHINGTON: A new stretch of road is aimed at improving traffic from the Port of Savannah headed to businesses across the country – including a number in Coweta County. Gov. Nathan Deal took part in the ceremonial opening of the Jimmy DeLoach Connector in Port Wentworth, just outside Savannah. The newly opened roadway will cut 900 hours in truck transit time per day, yielding important reductions in highway emissions, according to the Georgia Ports Authority.
The road provides a final link between Port of Savannah, Interstate 95 and freight distribution facilities. “Since taking office, improving and investing in our transportation and infrastructure system has been a key focus of mine,” said Deal. “To that end, I prioritized infrastructure projects that will ensure Georgia remains the gateway to the South.”
Deal said completion of the connector “will be beneficial for both freight movement and driver safety around the Port of Savannah, while positively impacting Georgia’s economy.” The new road is a 3.1-mile, four-lane highway between State Route 307 and the terminus of the Jimmy DeLoach Parkway. The route largely runs parallel to State Route 21 and allows direct access to I-95 and I-16 for the more than 8,000 trucks that enter and leave the port each day.
In 2011, the Georgia General Assembly authorized the sale of up to $100 million in bonds to fund the project, which included right-of-way costs of $20 million, construction costs of $72.7 million and an additional $5 million in utility relocation costs. Many Coweta County businesses depend on the ports to bring in goods to sell or for manufacturing and to ship out finished products.
