Savannah Opens $126M Connector to Cut Port Truck Route by Half

A $126 million four-lane connector road linking the Port of Savannah's Garden City terminal directly to Interstate 516 opens next week, cutting the previous route in half and eliminating railroad crossings for the 15,000 truck moves that pass through the port daily.

How much shorter is the new route?

The Brampton Road Connector runs from Gate 3 at the Garden City terminal straight to I-516. Previously, trucks took a combination of Highway 25 and Brampton Road, crossing railroad tracks and making multiple turns while sharing Brampton Road with local traffic. The new connector eliminates all of that. Georgia DOT built the connector on previously unused right-of-way, so no existing roads or buildings were impacted.

What else has Georgia DOT built for port access?

The Brampton Road Connector is the final piece in a multi-project effort to improve truck access to Savannah. Earlier projects included the Jimmy DeLoach Parkway Extension, which opened in 2014 and provides a direct route from I-95 to the port's Ocean Terminal. The state also widened sections of I-16 and built the I-16/I-516 interchange to handle increased container traffic. Those projects preceded the connector but were part of the same long-term plan to separate port truck traffic from local streets.

Why does this matter for drayage operators?

Fifteen thousand truck moves per day means roughly 7,500 inbound and 7,500 outbound trips. Every minute saved per trip compounds across the fleet. Eliminating railroad crossings removes the single biggest unpredictable delay in port drayage, where a stopped train can add 10 to 20 minutes to a turn. Removing local-street traffic from the route also cuts the risk of accidents and citations, both of which hit CSA scores and insurance premiums.

Georgia DOT Commissioner Russell McMurry said in a statement that improving freight mobility and increasing safety for motorists on local streets were the project's key goals. The connector accomplishes both by pulling port trucks off Brampton Road entirely.

What does this cost compared to other port infrastructure?

At $126 million, the Brampton Road Connector is modest compared to the scale of port expansion projects elsewhere. The Port of Long Beach's Gerald Desmond Bridge replacement, which opened in 2020, cost $1.47 billion. The Savannah connector is closer in scope to an interchange upgrade than a major bridge or tunnel, but it delivers the same outcome: a dedicated truck route that doesn't share pavement with passenger cars or stop for rail traffic.

The connector's four lanes are wide enough to handle peak-hour volume without queuing back to the gate. That matters for drayage operators working appointment windows. A missed slot at the terminal means waiting for the next available time, which can push a second or third turn out of reach for the day.

When does the connector open?

The Georgia DOT announcement said the connector will open for business next week. No specific date was provided, but the project is complete and ready for traffic. Drayage operators running Savannah should see the new route available within days of the announcement.

For fleets running drayage routes under margin pressure, the connector's elimination of railroad crossings and local-street delays translates directly to more turns per truck per day. Whether that offsets rising fuel and equipment costs depends on how many extra moves the shorter route enables, but removing unpredictable delays is the first step toward tighter scheduling.