The Port of Greenville has a dilemma, albeit a rather happy one. It is operating at 100% of peak daytime capacity during the spring, summer and fall. This speaks well for the health of the port. The down side is that barges cannot be loaded or unloaded during rainy periods, which are all too frequent in the South. The bottom line is that without more capacity, the Port cannot accept new business during these peak periods, and actually loses some business during rainy weather.

The Port Commission, with support from the Industrial Foundation of Washington County, South Delta Planning and Development District, the Board of Supervisors, and the City of Greenville, has arrived at a plan which will eliminate the rainy day problem and allow for significant new business growth at the port.

The solution is an all-weather intermodal transfer facility, or in layman’s terms, a covered bridge crane. A bridge crane is exactly what it sounds like, a crane that can bridge across barge berths, therefore loading and unloading more commodities at a time. Since this type crane is suspended on an enormous scaffolding device, the next logical step is to cover the whole device and the berths it services, providing shelter for loading and unloading during inclement weather.

The proposed facility at Greenville would consist of four covered barge berths, serviced by the bridge crane. The port presently has two berths and two swing cranes. The new facility would replace one of the existing berths for a total of five berths, one of which would still be exposed to the elements. However, since a portion of the port’s business is in scrap metal and other loads that aren’t damaged by water, this berth could stay busy year round.

Harold Burdine, Port Director, describes the origin of the project. "We identified a need for expanded capabilities in 1996," he says. "We decided to build a flat storage warehouse - an on land facility for bulk grain products. However, after we did the feasibility study, we found that this wasn’t what our customers required. They needed all-weather facilities. So we began to study the covered bridge crane.

"We have a master plan for development of the Port that will take years to complete, but the beauty of the bridge crane facility is that we can use it today. We need it now and it will also enhance our appeal to new industries. Of course any infrastructure development is very expensive. This is a $4.5 million project, but our studies show that it would pay for itself in a very short time."

Indeed, the study conducted for the port shows an annual added revenue potential of $3,625,000. This includes recovery of business lost due to weather, recovery of business turned away for lack of capacity, and new business revenue in agriculture, limestone, salvage and export bagging. This is all business that has shown a provable interest. Additional marketing of the expanded port could add even more.

The Port Commission is presently awaiting word from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) on a grant application for $1.5 million of the cost. Bill Haney, Executive Director of South Delta Planning and Development District, is hopeful about the grant. "We had a meeting with Phil Singerman. He’s one of the top EDA men in Washington. We met with him and Bill Day, who is the Regional Director of EDA out of Atlanta. It was a really good meeting. Everyone was there pulling for us - the Mayor and several Aldermen, County Supervisors, Tommy Hart with the Industrial Foundation, Mark Manning with the Delta Council, the Port Commissioners and Congressman Bennie Thompson.

"If we get the grant," Haney continues, "the Board of Supervisors has committed another $2.5 million, and that just leaves $500,000 for the Port Commission." Burdine says that they plan to apply for a "port revitalization" loan for that $500,000. The Mississippi Department of Economic and Community Development has those funds available at 3% interest.

Tommy Hart, Executive Director of the Industrial Foundation of Washington County, is excited about the potential that this unique facility creates at the port. "The beauty of it is," he says, "that with this project people have really begun thinking at a larger level. This arose because of a pressing need, but now people are looking at the larger picture. They are working on a comprehensive plan of development so that they’ll know exactly what elements need to be in place and in what order.

"We would all like to see all the elements and plans in place - designed, engineered and costed - so that we’ll be able to move with any new opportunity for funding that should arise in the future, whether state, federal, local or private. We need a complete infrastructure for rail, road, and water. We could make this port a highly competitive feature, not just for this county, but for the entire area," Hart concludes.

Harold Burdine agrees, adding that several hundred acres of flood-free industrial sites, to be created by a hydraulic fill project, are also being planned. Bill Haney mentions some pet transportation projects. All of them are amused by their own enthusiasm. They are all veterans of the processes and realize how expensive the entire plan will be to implement and how long it could take. But they’re still excited that so much planning is actually underway. For now, they’re very happy with the prospect of the covered bridge crane. They know that the first step can bring in enough business to lead to the second, and that the process can continue that way until all the steps are accomplished.

The businesses that are likely to be attracted by the bridge crane project will create a number of badly needed jobs in addition to the increased port business. "We hope to start construction in October," Burdine says. "That would give us a completion date of May or June, 1999." DBJ

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Site last updated January 10, 1999.