HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — A long-planned cargo terminal across the Savannah River in Jasper County is on indefinite hold, and that pause is reshaping the case for new interstate access inland of Hilton Head. Port boards in South Carolina and Georgia told their staffs to stand down on the Jasper Ocean Terminal after a quiet May letter came to light this month.
Local coverage on Oct. 15 spelled out the fallout for the Lowcountry. The letter, first detailed by a statewide newsroom, told both ports authorities to stop spending on the joint venture and focus on their own terminals. Roughly $20 million has already gone into planning since 2015 on a project once pegged near $5 billion.
The 1,500-acre site was meant to move about 7 million containers a year with road and rail links. Army Corps environmental work is also frozen until both agencies revoke the stand-down in writing.
For years Jasper leaders tied a new I-95 Exit 3 at Purrysburg Road to port traffic. The state has awarded about $91 million for that interchange but has not released the money, and county cost estimates sat near $86 million as of late 2024.
Hardeeville officials say warehouses and factories along U.S. 17 still look strong even without the terminal. City manager Josh Gruber said the city remains bullish on Riverport, Exit 3 and its tie to the Port of Savannah, calling the terminal a long-term idea that was never a near-term certainty.
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