Tag: Interstate 526

With continued growth on the way at the Port of Charleston, a proposal to move more cargo with fewer trucks is getting the thumbs-up from state and federal legislators even as its implementation could be years down the road. The State Ports Authority last week took its plan to use barges to haul cargo containers at Wando Welch Terminal in Mount Pleasant to state lawmakers, who are asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to grant a permit allowing the project to move forward. The authority says its barge proposal would eliminate about 200,000 truck trips — and their resulting emissions — annually by moving containers from the terminal on a roughly 3-mile trip along the Wando and Cooper rivers to a new terminal being built on the former Navy base in North Charleston. From there, they would be moved on a private road to a nearby rail yard planned by Palmetto Railways, a division of the state Commerce Department. It also would save $27.4 million in road and bridge maintenance costs over 30 years and improve the quality of life for residents living near Wando Welch. The terminal’s 3,800-foot wharf would have to be extended by 700 feet so barges could operate continuously and cargo could be loaded from more than one ship at a time, all of which requires Army Corps approval and a permit from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. Melvin said the review process could last several months before a decision is made. The mayor of the town whose residents feel the brunt of traffic congestion at Wando Welch said he wants to see the barge plan succeed. “By operating and managing an inner harbor barge system, (the authority) can significantly reduce the length and number of truck trips on local roads, which will ease congestion, emissions, and create a more efficient transfer of cargo.” Similar letters of support have been sent to the Army Corps by state Sen. Larry Grooms, a Charleston County Republican who heads the state’s ports oversight commission, Ted Pitts of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and others. During last week’s roads and bridges committee meeting, state Rep. Leon Stavrinakis recommended Charleston County’s legislative delegation formally support the barge plan.