Joint port development project for GA/SC

The two would form a bi-state port authority through an interstate compact, which would require approval by both state legislatures as well as from the US Congress. The port would be built on land that is currently owned by the Georgia Department of Transportation and used by the US Army Corps of Engineers as a disposal site for dredged materials.

The new entity would be owned by the two states equally and would be modelled on the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which was created in 1921. Private companies would be asked to submit proposals to participate in the development of the first phase of the Jasper Terminal Site.

“This announcement marks an historic day in the long-term economic viability of this region,” said Governor Perdue. “Governor Sanford and I have proposed a plan that will benefit both Georgia and South Carolina. Commerce doesn’t begin or end at a line drawn on a map, so it was crucial for the two states to come together.”