Surfside Estates
- GAINESVILLE, GA -
INLAND PORT UPDATES
The Blueridge Connector
What does the crane sound like?
The State Route 365 Planning Study aims to analyze travel conditions along and adjacent to State Route 365 in Hall County from I-985 to Belton Bridge Road.
Click here to read up on the ideas and plans the GDOT has for our area.
Questions regarding plans for our highways and roads may be directed to:
Email: JoPastorelle@dot.ga.gov Office: (404) 631-1792
Jomar A. Pastorelle, M.A., SR 316 & SR 365 Project Manager, Transportation Planner II
Article About Environmental Approval to Build Port
Georgia Ports Authority Chief Communications Officer Tom Boyd at tboyd@gaports.com or call (912) 964-3855
Neighborhood Questions Answered:
Was this location chosen due to the location/convenience of Kubota Tractor?
"After talking with Tim Evans – Senior VP of Economic Development at Greater Hall Chamber, he stated he was the one who was responsible for the filing of the joint application for the Gainesville/Hall County Development Authority.
Tim informed me that the joint permit application was for several sites, in its entirety totaling 282.71 acres. GPA’s 112.983 acers were included in the initial permit application, this was to expedite the process from Hall County perspective allowing for other sites to advance, back in 2018.
The referenced land disturbance was identified as 117 acres in the support document from HHNT this is the GPA site, now referred to as the Blue Ridge Connector.
As for detail with Hall County, there is no correction needed, the filed document is correct for the purpose of which it was used during the joint filing process. I hope my outline helps."
Is the goal of the port to attract more industry to the area, further congesting and polluting our lake community?
Hall County will not receive any revenue directly from the Blue Ridge Connector; however, additional businesses and development are expected in the area, as stated as a long-term goal under Economic and Workforce Development in Hall County's Strategic Plan, “to shape Hall County’s northern corridor to encourage natural expansion through investments in infrastructure while promoting safety and efficiency.”
Will there be a traffic light where the newly paved Cagle Road meets the highway, so people can safely turn left?
There are no plans for this GDOT intersection to be signalized. However, the GDOT is evaluating an R-CUT at that location to improve intersection safety. Answer provided by Bill Nash, P.E. Director of Public Works and Utilities
How many trucks, per day, will there be when the port reaches max capacity?
700 a day once the port reaches max capacity. Currently, there will be 160 trucks per day with only daytime operating hours.
How many large, electric cranes will there be?
There will be 7 cranes at the start, but potential for fourteen. The cranes are very noisy.
How will the port's lighting alter our view of the night sky?
The port will have minimal LED lighting that should be downward.
Are any of the other inland ports built so close to a state park?
They confirmed that they have built another port close to a State Park. You may make arrangements to visit the Appalachian Regional Port in Crandall GA to get an idea of what we are facing.
How will you protect our water supply from the port runoff when it rains?
There will be a large collection pool that will "process" the water before releasing it. The port will be designed so that runoff gathers in the pool.
Will any of the train cars carry hazardous materials that could get into the lake if there is an accident (there is a creek that leads directly to the lake, which is directly below the train track)?
Yes, and they already do.
Are they going to build a buffer wall to contain sound or plant a buffer of plants and trees to reduce the noise?
NO. Once grading and construction is completed, there are no plans to plant something between us and the port.
Will a fire station be built on our side of the tracks? NO
What are the hours of operation?
Operating hours: We acknowledge the importance of maintaining operational hours that are respectful to the community. To start, we will open with gate hours from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. this will be in alignment with current industry of which we will adjust to support as necessary.
How much smog will the port create as semi-trucks are re-routed to our neighborhood to pick up their cargo?
Apparently, no one can answer this question.
How long will the trains entering the port be?
3,000 feet
Will it operate on weekends? Not when it first opens.
What sounds will the port produce? Please scroll up and play the video posted above to hear the loud sounds these cranes make. We visited in person and they are loud. The port's trucks beep when backing up. And you can hear the containers clank when they are set down.
"The audible alarms we have on these cranes are a lower Db"
"Trucks will travel in one direction through the port without backing up.
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Use of “Whisper Alarms” on cargo handling equipment: Regarding potential noise disturbances, we want to assure you that we are committed to minimizing any impact on nearby residents.
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Truck horns on the property: We invite you to visit our Garden City Terminal in Savannah (34 cranes). What’s different about this container terminal compared to most container terminals in the U.S. - is the lack of truck horns in a facility that handles 13,000 trucks a day. The best practices we use are high productivity operations and truck gates that get truckers in and out of the facility safely and quickly to make the trucker experience smooth and dependable. We envision trucks entering and exiting the Blue Ridge Connector facility will spend an average of only 15 minutes on terminal before returning to the highway. "
Does the delivery of 60,000 to 150,000 containers per year mean 60,000 to 150,000 semi trucks will now travel to our neighborhood annually?
The only answer given was that 150 Kubota trucks (per day) would just travel a few hundred feet to get their cargo containers. The rest of this question is unanswered.
Several Billion in Federal Funding was given to the Savannah Port to clean up emissions. Where can we read about the emissions that port generates and what the main causes are? 160 semi-trucks will pick up cargo daily to start. Additionally, there are semi-trucks within the port that will circle the property to move cargo within the port while producing emissions. Eventually 700 trucks will visit the port daily.
Containers at the Inland port will be stacked 6 containers high. There will be fourteen 75ft tall, large electric cranes that will likely be visible from Don Carter State Park. The port will have the capacity to take in 150,000 containers per year, but will start out at 60,000. The port will be constructed at the same grade as the existing train track, which is above the Surfside Estates neighborhood and ontop of the Continental Divide.
THE HIGHWAY AND WHITE SULPHUR WILL CHANGE
The YMCA stoplight will be eliminated and on and off ramps will be created. White Sulphur road will be widened to four lanes to accommodate new truck traffic. Highway improvements are also likely (more lanes?). Trucks will exit the facility at Kubota Way. We have learned that the "improvements" to Cagle road will bring the road within 7 feet of one neighbor's house!
NEW DEVEILOPMENT AND MORE VEHICLES WILL SOON SHARE CAGLE: https://arabellacapital.com/update-haselton/
More than 300 homes, with 72 boat slips, are being built off of Buffington Farm Rd, and will soon share the roads on this side of the tracks. They have rezoned 3271 and 3270 Buffington Farm Road, a 108.13 acre lot, from its current zoning as Agricultural-Residential-lll / Vacation-Cottage (V-C) to Planned Residential Development (PRD).
Developer: https://arabellacapital.com/about-us/adam-whitmire-ccim/
https://arabellacapital.com/properties/haselton/
WHAT HAPPENS TO OUR WELL WATER?
It is possible that The City of Gainesville will run water along Cagle Rd to our water tanks, should we agree to use their water. That could provide us with fire hydrants along Cagle, but we would no longer have our clean well water. Lots of thought needs to be put into this. One neighborhood groundwater expert says that the water runs deep enough to not be affected by port construction. Some community members are worried about drought and some are worried about potential contamination of a train derails. One benefit would be the possible addition of fire hydrants along Cagle, which would allow trucks to refill close by and potentially allow firefighters to keep a fire from spreading from one side of Cagle to the other. Nothing has been decided.
https://echo.epa.gov/detailed-facility-report?fid=GA1390001&sys=SDWIS
https://www.tapsafe.org/is-gainesville-ga-tap-water-safe-to-drink/
Jennifer Rivera is fielding questions for the Commissioners: 770-297-2684 . Here is the main page with further contact information: https://www.hallcounty.org/409/Board-of-Commissioners
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he Hall County Board of Commissioners meets monthly at the Hall County Government Center. Meeting agendas can be found online.
https://gaports.com/facilities/inland-ports/northeast-georgia-inland-port/
The planned 104-acre Northeast Georgia Inland Port will provide a direct link to the Port of Savannah via Norfolk Southern. The rail terminal will open with 9,000 feet of working track, expanding to 18,000 feet at full build-out. With a top capacity of 150,000 container lifts per year, the facility will offset 600 roundtrip highway miles for every container moved by rail.
Meetings Are Recorded Here. This meeting approves 4.8 million dollars for road improvements pertaining to the construction of the port (roughly 17 minutes in):
The Hall County web site can be used to search for meeting agendas. Future Meetings can be found here: https://www.hallcounty.org/1099/Board-of-Commissioners-Agenda-Center
EPA Nation-Wide Air Pollution Monitoring Projects
Washington Post Article Regarding The Use of Plants As Sound Barrier
"Mixed broadleaf plantings at least 25 feet thick and conifers 50 to 100 feet thick can drop noise levels by up to 10 decibels. For year-round noise reduction, plant a mix of evergreens such as arborvitaes, spruces, pines and hollies. To be effective sound barriers, these trees must have foliage that reaches to the ground." Washington Post
EPA To Spend Billions To Reduce Emissions/Pollution at the Port of Savannah
Federal Funding Port Electrification
Information About Cagle Road's Zoning
Tractor Trailer Storage Area Approved at the Corner of White Sulphur and Cornelia Highway
https://railroads.dot.gov/elibrary/how-create-quiet-zone
https://residential-acoustics.com/reducing-train-noise/
https://railroads.dot.gov/environment/noise-vibration/horn-noise-faq
