Julie McCombs
Standing water can be seen on different levels at the Greer Inland Port. Heavy equipment would often be used to smooth temporary passages for vehicles to travel.
Julie McCombs
Mud surrounds these Tindall concrete cones from virtually two months of intermittent downpours.
Julie McCombs
These huge earthmovers are valuable for maneuvering trucks and heavy port supplies that have become mired in the muck.
Julie McCombs
Work had to be halted before the July 4 holidays because of torrential rains that produced a small lake. Equipment had to be moved to higher ground. This photo was taken on July 9, two days after an all-day heavy rain.
South Carolina Ports Authority President and CEO Jim Newsome announced that the first cargo moved from the inland port is expected around Oct. 1. Newsome made his remarks at the authority’s board meeting on Tuesday. The $25 million facility had been scheduled to open around Labor Day.
“The South Carolina Inland Port is slated to be fully operational in October, following testing onsite in September. The cost range, as approved by the Board in April, is not expected to be altered,” Newsome said.
“There have been 58 rain days recorded. The weather has most greatly impacted the major earth work on the site. To date, workers have moved around 950,000 cubic yards of earth at the inland port site. There is not expected to be any customer impact.”
Over five inches of rain that fell preceding the July 4 holiday forced construction crews to shut down for five consecutive days. Heavy equipment had to be parked on higher ground as nearly the entire port was under water.
It took days for the port to dry and even recently some deliveries of heavy supplies by truck had to be maneuvered through the soft ground with the aid of heavy earthmovers or loaders.
The agency broke ground on the port in March. It will provide a direct rail link to Charleston port facilities. It’s also expected to reduce the number of tractor-trailer trucks traveling busy Interstate 26 between the upstate and the coast.
Rain has finished above normal each month since it was one inch above in April 2 inches above in May and 5.5 inches more in June.