Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) will support construction of a fourth vessel berth at Port of Brunswick’s Colonel’s Island Auto Terminal

New berth at the dedicated Ro/Ro facility will increase economic activity in Georgia while lowering exhaust emissions in the region, improving air quality

Senator Reverend Warnock: “The construction of this new vessel berth will make Georgia even more attractive to car companies looking to make a new home in our state”

In July, Senator Reverend Warnock urged Transportation Secretary Buttigieg to consider the project’s grant application

Washington, D.C. — Today, Georgia U.S. Senators Reverend Warnock and Jon Ossoff announced a new $14,647,284 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation which will go to building a fourth Ro-Ro vessel berth at Port of Brunswick’s Colonel’s Island Auto Terminal in Glynn County. 

“This award is wonderful news, not just for the people in and around Georgia, but for car companies all around the state that will now have greater access to markets across the world. The construction of this new vessel berth will make Georgia even more attractive to car companies looking to make a new home in our state,” said Senator Reverend Warnock.“This award will help boost our state’s economy, improve air quality, and create and support good-paying jobs for Georgians. I’m going to keep fighting in the Senate for investments like this that help keep our state and economy moving forward.”

In July, Senator Warnock urged Transportation Secretary Buttigieg to consider the grant application for the project. This project will construct a new vessel berth that is needed to handle the growing volume of U.S. automotive exports and imports moving through the Port. Colonel’s Island Auto Terminal is located 2.5 miles from Interstate 95 (North/South) via U.S. Highway 17, and just one hour south of Interstate 16 (East/West) and one hour north of Interstate 10 (East/West). The facility is also served by two Class 1 railroads, Norfolk Southern and CSX. Several auto manufacturing plants in Georgia and throughout the U.S. are directly connected to Colonel’s Island by way of these rail networks, allowing thousands of new U.S. made vehicles to be exported around the world each month.

One of the busiest ports in the nation and a dedicated Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro/Ro) facility, the facility operates with just three berths. Due to the high utilization of these existing berths caused by increased vessel traffic and the overall larger size of ships now in service, a fourth berth is greatly needed. By adding a fourth berth, vessel turn times in the port area will decrease as will dwell time for ships waiting for berths to become vacant. This means ships will arrive and depart faster with fewer overall vessel exhaust emissions in the region, improving air quality.

Senators Warnock and Ossoff have been vocal and successful advocates for Georgia’s coastal and inland ports. Senator Warnock recently announced $8 million in federal funding to alleviate congestion at the Port of Savannah and ease supply chain issues. Additionally, previously Senators Warnock and Ossoff announced a nearly $47 million federal grant to help modernize the vital Northeast Georgia Inland Port in Gainesville.

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