Will Georgia’s ports be impacted by the Baltimore bridge collapse? Here’s what we found out

Georgia has two of the busiest seaports in the country: Savannah and Brunswick.

Brunswick is the nation’s second-busiest auto port, just behind Baltimore.

With the port of Baltimore shut down, some ships could be diverted to the Georgia coast.

On Monday, Gov. Brian Kemp called for a deeper shipping channel at the Port of Savannah. And that’s not the only port improvement on the horizon.

The Georgia Ports Authority said the Eugene Talmadge Memorial Bridge isn’t tall enough.

Built in 1991, it gives cargo ships 185 feet of clearance. That’s too low for ever-bigger ships passing beneath, so the state plans to lift the bridge by 20 feet.

Anita Bruce lives in the area.

“They’re pretty close to the top. It can be scary at times watching them go under the bridge,” Bruce told Channel 2′s Bryan Mims.

“So lifting the bridge would be a good thing?” he asked Bruce.

“They need to lift the bridge, yeah,” Bruce said.

RELATED STORIES:

• Georgia Ports Authority approves more than $65 million for work on Port of Savannah Ocean Terminal

• Georgia port paves the way to become No. 1 in the United States with massive expansion

• Georgia seaports handled a record number of automobiles in 2023 while container trade dropped 16%

• New $127M inland terminal approved for Gainesville by Georgia Ports Authority

“I think one of the things we’ve identified in Savannah is that cargo ships will come loaded a lot heavier in larger container ships,” state Sen. Derek Mallow said.

The Georgia Department of Transportation said most of the work, set to begin next year, can be done without closing the bridge.

In the wake of the Baltimore bridge collapse, the Georgia Ports Authority sent Mims a written statement about the safety of the state’s two seaports.

The agency says the Talmadge Bridge has no support columns in the shipping channel.

“Savannah Port Pilots have an excellent safety record handling 45 ships a week and 2,000 ships in fiscal year 2023.

“Because this is a river port, Savannah Port Pilots take special precautions bringing ships in and out of the port, including the use of two to three tugs.”

The authority said the Port of Brunswick has safely navigated more than 600 ships in fiscal year ‘23.

The Sydney Lanier bridge, it said, has two acres of rocks around each of its support columns for protection.

As for Savannah’s Talmadge Bridge, the state has a long-term plan to replace it with a higher bridge -- or a tunnel.

“It’s necessary. The ships are getting bigger. There are more containers to come in,” said Whit Campbell, who lives in the area.

A spokesperson for the Georgia Ports Authority said some customers have reached out about using Georgia’s ports while Baltimore is shut down.

Most inquiries have involved vehicle cargo at the Port of Brunswick.

RELATED NEWS: