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Waterways Program

Mission

The Georgia DOT Waterways Program partners with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to maintain the navigability of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AIWW) and Georgia’s deep water ports in Savannah and Brunswick. These port facilities are operated by the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA).

 Container Ship in the Port of Savannah    Container Ship

Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway

The AIWW extends 137 miles through Georgia from the Florida state line to the South Carolina state line. Georgia DOT provides land for the 98 upland disposal areas used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to maintain the waterway in Georgia.

Savannah Harbor

The Port of Savannah, the nation’s fastest growing port and fourth largest container port, handles 80 percent of the ship-borne cargo entering Georgia. The Georgia Department of Transportation became the local sponsor for the Savannah Harbor on December 8, 1999.

As local sponsor, GDOT is responsible for:

  • Providing easements and rights-of-way for upland disposal areas
  • Providing 35% of the cost required to raise the dikes at the upland disposal areas in the Savannah Harbor

Proposed Savannah Harbor Expansion

International shipping will enter a new phase by 2014. That’s when the expected completion of the widening of the Panama Canal will result in a new breed of “megacontainer” ships moving through its locks—vessels that can carry up to twice as much cargo as current ones.

This means shippers from around the world could choose to go directly to Savannah, the biggest port by volume in the South. But in order to attract these larger ships, the 35.6-mile stretch of Savannah harbor and river must be deepened to a proposed 48 feet. According to the Army Corps of Engineers this could be done with minimal environmental impact and at a cost of $551 million.

Brunswick Harbor

Specializing in automobile importing, Brunswick handles nearly all of Georgia’s remaining shipping traffic. The Georgia Department of Transportation became the local sponsor for the Brunswick Harbor on April 5, 2002.

As local sponsor, GDOT is responsible for:

  • Providing easements and rights-of-way for upland disposal areas
  • Providing 35% of the cost required to raise the dikes at Andrews Island, which is the main upland disposal area in the Brunswick Harbor.

Contacts

John Phillips, Waterways Program Manager
David Griffin, Waterways Project Manager