A second inland port in South Carolina is now a go.
The S.C. State Ports Authority plans to build an inland port in Dillon County along Interstate 95 near the North Carolina border. The site will be served by CSX rail.
The port announced plans to pursue the Dillon site in April, but needed board approval before moving forward. The board unanimously approved the Dillon project Monday morning before the State of the Port address.
The inland port will now move into the design phase. The ports authority plans to break ground in the first quarter of 2017, and the opening is projected by the end of the year.
Companies either use trucks or rail to bring their products to inland ports, and then rail lines bring the cargo to marine terminals for export to global markets. The port has operated an inland port in Greer since 2013. Norfolk Southern Railway brings cargo from that terminal to Charleston each night. CSX will bring cargo from Dillon to Charleston overnight.
Newsome has long talked of creating more inland ports in South Carolina as a way to bring more cargo into the Port of Charleston, remove some long-haul trucks from state highways, and create further economic development around the inland terminals.
Newsome said he expects the Dillon site will grow container volumes at the port by attracting more cargo from Southeast, Northeast and Midwest companies to the Port of Charleston.
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