Upstate 'Inland Port' Construction Set

A new economic engine for the Upstate is expected to rev to life early in 2013.

The SC Ports Authority said at its last meeting of 2012 that the inland port planned for the Upstate will begin construction early in 2013. Crews will begin moving dirt before the end of January, and the port's design is complete, reported GSA Business.

The sprawling port expects to open in September 2013. It will be located near the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport and BMW Manufacturing.

The port will allow companies such as BMW to more efficiently ship goods directly by rail to and from the Port of Charleston, not to mention eliminate more than 50,000 truck trips annually along the Interstate 26 corridor between Charleston and Greenville-Spartanburg.

The prime benefactor of the port will be BMW, though companies with a local presence such as Adidas, Amazon, and Michelin, would benefit greatly as well, experts said. BMW alone is expected to ship 20,000 to 25,000 containers a year to and from the inland port. Port officials say cargo from other customers is expected to double that volume within the next few years.

In addition to being a boon to existing companies, the creation of the port should also prove to be a major lure in the recruitment of other import-export intensive companies to the state, experts said.

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