On Tuesday, April 24th, Gov. Deal visited thePort of Savannah for a press conference regarding the passage of the State budget, including over $46 million in State funding for the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP). The additional funding brings the total State contribution to over $181 million. “We know that this project is important; not just for the Savannah area, it’s important for the state of Georgia, and it is also important for the United States,” said Gov. Deal.
The Federal government has committed to pay for 60% of the estimated $653 million in total project costs for SHEP; leaving Georgiato pay the remaining 40%. At the press conference Gov. Deal remained optimistic that the Federal government would come up with the $392 million it needed to cover its 60% share of project costs. However, the Governor did note that if the Federal government were to come up short on its funding he would turn to the taxpayers of Georgia to increase the State’s portion of project costs so as not to delay the dredging.
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