Real money to roll for joint Georgia-S.C. port

The Georgia Ports Authority today approved $7.5 million for environmental studies for the proposed $5 billion port of Jasper.

The port, scheduled to open by 2030, will likely sit 15 miles below downtown Savannah on the South Carolina side of the river. Both states will build and operate the 1,500-acre port expected to handle ever-larger container ships. South Carolina has already chipped in its $7.5 million share for the next three years.

Taxpayers are already spending about $1 billion deepening harbors and upgrading terminals and roads at the ports of Savannah and Charleston. The construction and maintenance price tag for all three ports could top $9 billion over the next 15 years, though not all costs would be borne by taxpayers.