GPA’s newest inland terminal broadens supply chain performance while improving local community roads.

SAVANNAH, Ga., Oct. 29, 2026 – Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp joined customers, Hall County dignitaries and Georgia Ports leaders to host the grand opening ceremony of the $134 million Gainesville Inland Port.

“Georgia’s ports are a major reason companies choose to invest and create jobs here, and the Gainesville Inland Port brings that advantage directly to Northeast Georgia,” said Gov. Kemp. “Connecting this region to the Port of Savannah with new supply chain options makes it easier for Georgia businesses to reach customers around the world and helps ease congestion on our highways.” 

Northeast Georgia is home to a growing manufacturing and logistics corridor, with a consumer market of 2 million and more than 300 manufacturers. Since 2020, 78 new and expanding firms have added more than 4,800 jobs and $2 billion in capital investment to Gainesville-Hall County. The area’s largest employment segment, at 33 percent of overall workforce, is concentrated in manufacturing, processing and logistics.

“We view this as a high growth market where we can improve supply chain performance and make customers more competitive long-term. We’re bringing the Port of Savannah closer to Gainesville,” said Georgia Ports CEO Griff Lynch.

Customers can now choose rail for greater affordability and for heavier loads, or truck-only for faster transit. The Georgia Ports Authority expects to shift 26,000 containers to rail in the terminal’s first year of operation, improving emissions and reducing trucks on Atlanta and Georgia highways. Serving North Georgia and the Carolinas, the Gainesville Inland Port is presently handling a mix of home and retail goods as well as manufacturing components for imports. Exports consist of farm and forest products, as well as manufacturing.

“GPA’s new inland terminal is another important investment in Georgia’s statewide logistics network,” said Georgia Ports Chairman Alec Poitevint. “We appreciate Gov. Kemp, the General Assembly and Georgia DOT for their work keeping that network strong across the Peach State.”

“We are working with customers and the logistics community to create more business opportunities for them. The City of Gainesville and Hall County leadership have been excellent to work with and we’re confident in the future there,” added Georgia Ports President Kevin Price.  

Georgia Ports Supports Hall County Community

For improved, safer traffic flows for local communities in Gainesville, Georgia Ports funded $4.8 million in Hall County Road projects, eliminating an at-grade rail crossing, rerouting White Sulphur Road and surfacing Cagle Road. The new White Sulphur route south of the inland terminal now ensures free access for emergency vehicles and avoids traffic disruption from trains. The resurfacing of Cagle Road also offers an improved alternative for residents.

Global connectivity, local storage, better flexibility for inventory  

The Gainesville Inland Port links customers to the Port of Savannah’s 40 weekly vessel calls with Norfolk Southern rail service.  The inland port has an annual capacity of 200,000 containers and offers convenient access for trucks to interstates 85 and 985.  On-terminal storage and truck gate access from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday gives inland port customers greater inventory flexibility. Grounded storage means customers can also reduce chassis fees compared to wheeled storage at their facilities.

Georgia Ports is in the midst of a $5bn, ten-year plan that will see five container berths added in the Port of Savannah and one RoRo berth in the Port of Brunswick, the most expansion of any U.S. port. The company recently announced it will start construction in 2028 on the 3.5 million twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) Savannah Container Terminal, a $2.3 billion, 350-acre facility with an on-dock rail terminal to handle the largest container ships when opened in the mid-2030s.  The Port of Savannah will then achieve an overall total container capacity of 12 million TEU port to serve the long-term growth needs of customers.

ABOUT GEORGIA PORTS

Georgia’s Ports in Savannah and Brunswick are strategic gateways, creating the most competitive supply chains in the nation with their level of operations, connectivity and supply chain ecosystem. These attributes combined with Georgia’s ranking as the top state to do business for 13 consecutive years create a strong business model for growth. The Port of Savannah is one of the best-connected ports in the U.S. to world markets with 40 ship calls a week, 42 double-stack trains per week and 15,000 truck gate moves daily. The Port of Brunswick is the number 1 ranked U.S. RoRo port by annual volumes for autos and has an increasing amount of machinery cargoes with its expanded high and heavy cargo operating space.  GPA has a self-financed investment plan of nearly $5 billion for the next ten years which will see five big ship container berths added in Savannah (the most of any U.S. container port) and a fourth RoRo berth in Brunswick to meet future growth. Over the past 10 years, the GPA board has approved $4.13 billion in infrastructure improvements. As part of GPA’s community engagement efforts, $6 million is being donated to port communities to support a multi-year, local workforce housing initiative, helping over 230 families repair, buy or build a home in the Savannah area since its start in September 2023. For further information, visit gaports.com or contact Tom Boyd, Chief Communications Officer at [email protected]   912-964-3884.