{"id":740,"date":"2018-08-22T11:58:52","date_gmt":"2018-08-22T16:58:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awlcorp.com\/?p=740"},"modified":"2023-05-11T18:54:18","modified_gmt":"2023-05-11T18:54:18","slug":"georgias-new-inland-terminal-open-for-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/awlcorp.com\/?p=740","title":{"rendered":"GEORGIA\u2019S NEW INLAND TERMINAL OPEN FOR BUSINESS"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Georgia\u2019s<\/div>\n

APPALACHIAN REGIONAL PORT TO SERVE FOUR-STATE REGION<\/h2>\n
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Gov. Nathan Deal, center, cuts a ribbon during the Grand Opening of the Appalachian Regional Port near Chatsworth, Ga., Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2018. Improved rail access to the area has led to increased interest from manufacturers and logistics services. The inland terminal will be operated by the Georgia Ports Authority and served by CSX.\u00a0Find print quality images\u00a0here<\/a>.\u00a0Learn more about the Appalachian Regional Port\u00a0here.<\/a>\u00a0<\/b>(Georgia Ports Authority \/ Stephen B. Morton)<\/b><\/p>\n

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CHATSWORTH, Ga.,\u00a0<\/b>Aug. 22, 2018\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/b>Gov. Nathan Deal, state officials and more than 350 business and civic leaders were on hand today to officially open the Appalachian Regional Port (ARP) in Northwest Georgia.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Appalachian Regional Port is a powerful new gateway to the Port of Savannah that extends the efficiencies of Georgia\u2019s superior port operations to new markets,\u201d Deal said. \u201cIt will also serve as an economic development magnet, drawing business and industry to the Southeast U.S.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Located in Murray County, the new state-of-the-art facility will provide logistics solutions for customers in a four-state region and remove an estimated 50,000 trucks and 15 million truck miles from local highways every year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ARP is part of our Network Georgia initiative that brings services from the coast to communities around the state,\u201d said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. \u201cThe new inland terminal will provide the same, superior quality services our customers have come to rely on: congestion-free, easy access, expedited handling and reliability.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Through intermodal rail service from CSX, the Appalachian Regional Port offers customers across North Georgia, Northeast Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky a more efficient option to move cargo to and from Savannah\u2019s container port.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

GPA Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood said building additional logistics assets helps fulfill the Authority\u2019s overall mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur job at Georgia\u2019s ports is very simple \u2013 to build, operate and maintain the very best infrastructure and services in the maritime industry. And, the ARP will be another example of this commitment,\u201d Allgood said. \u201cWe appreciate the governor\u2019s support for the ARP and other projects that have helped to make our ports what they are today. Gov. Deal knows what it takes to make Georgia the No. 1 state in the nation to do business.\u201d<\/p>\n

Handling both import and export containers, CSX will provide service on a direct, 388-mile rail route to and from the Port of Savannah’s Garden City Terminal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cCSX is proud to serve regional customers through the ARP, which will unlock new economic opportunities while lowering shipping costs,\u201d said Dean Piacente, vice president of CSX intermodal sales and marketing. \u201cWe applaud the vision and leadership of Governor Deal and the Georgia Ports Authority, as they drive Georgia forward in ways that will benefit both businesses and consumers.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The new rail terminal will be worked by three electric rubber-tired gantry cranes. Each has a lift capacity greater than 40 tons and, working together, can handle 100,000 container lifts per year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Murray County is a Tier 1 area, meaning special incentives are available to job creators who locate there. More direct and economical access to the second busiest port on the East Coast will make Murray County more attractive to those involved in site selection.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Appalachian Regional Port is a great example of how the GPA is investing in rural Georgia, and not forgetting how that can play into the growing economic strength of the state,\u201d Deal said.\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Illya Copeland, executive director of the Murray County Industrial Development Authority (IDA), said the area offers prime locations for manufacturing and logistics development near the inland port. \u201cMurray County features 16 sites offering more than 1,500 acres of developable land, most of which can support multiple developments,\u201d Copeland said. \u201cOf the 1,500 acres, 258 acres are rail-front property.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

He said the IDA bought a 382-acre tract in January, and is closing on two port-related projects in the park already.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Other benefits of the Appalachian Regional Port include:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n