The Gainesville Inland Port is scheduled to open Monday, eight year after plans for it were announced.
Operated by the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA), its function is to connect northeast Georgia with the Port of Savannah. The GPA touts the facility as one that will greatly reduce the truck traffic between north Georgia and the port. The facility will offset 600 roundtrip highway miles for every container that is moved by railway, which will reduce congestion on Georgia highways, transportation costs and delivery times, GPA has said.
But no everyone has been happy with prospects of such a facility. Individually and as groups, residents of the area where it is located and others worry that it will open that part of the county to more industrial and commercial development.
How we got here:
* Then-Gov. Nathan Deal announced plans for the facility in Dec. 2018.
*A federal grant was obtained in 2021.
*Hall County Government hosted a community information meeting in October 2023.
*The GPA Board of Directors approved spending $127 million to build the facility two months later.
*Also, in December 2023, Norfolk-Southern got the contract for the port.
*Last October, a state legislator called for a study of the impact it will have on traffic in Hall, Forsyth, Jackson, Dawson and Lumpkin counties. .
*Hiring got underway in January.
*In March, the opening date was announced.
*Just a month ago the inland port got high marks from a state environmental group.