Ga. gov applauds completion of Savannah harbor expansion

By RUSS BYNUM
Associated Press

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is celebrating what he calls a “once in a generation milestone” _ the completion of a $973 million expansion of the shipping channel that links one of the busiest U.S. seaports to the Atlantic Ocean. Kemp told about 50 people on the Savannah waterfront that the deeper shipping channel will fuel more growth for the Port of Savannah, already the nation’s No. 4 port for cargo shipped in containers. The Savannah harbor expansion required dredging 5 feet of extra depth along 40 miles of the Savannah River. Deepening wrapped up earlier this month after 6 1/2 years of work. But studies and environmental reviews on the project date back to 1997.