The Times and Democrat - 'We have got it'

An aerial photo of the Interstate 26/Interstate 95 cloverleaf interchange. Orangeburg County officials want to develop a similar cloverleaf at the U.S. Highway 301/Interstate 95 interchange to support an inland port and future growth. SPECIAL TO THE T&D

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'We have got it'

Orangeburg County seeks to build its 'Global Logistics Triangle' to draw industry

By GENE ZALESKI, T&D Staff Writer
Sunday, August 06, 2006

Orangeburg County officials say the construction of a cloverleaf interchange at U.S. Highway 301 and Interstate 95 is crucial to enhancing the viability of the planned inland port, the attractiveness of the area and even the state's future economic growth.

But they eventually want to go even further, improving all the points on what the county has trademarked as the "Global Logistics Triangle."

"We are trying to take it to the next level," Orangeburg County Development Commission Executive Director Gregg Robinson said.

"In order for us to make it work and to target the quality companies ... the big boxes of the world ... they have to have a better access point to 95," Robinson said.

When Charleston-based Carolina Linkages first announced plans to develop an inland port at the intersection of U.S. 301 and I-95 in Orangeburg County, one hurdle cited by the company was the need to upgrade and enhance the interchange.

CaroLinks plans to take containers from ships, haul them up Shipyard Creek in North Charleston and transport them to sites in Orangeburg County and the Upstate for distribution. The entire project is expected to cost $250 million.

Currently, the I-95/U.S. 301 interchange is what Robinson describes as a "Texas diamond" shape, though not like the more traditional diamond-shaped interchanges such as the Exit 139 interchange on Interstate 26.

He said that while access from U.S. 301 and I-95 is currently available, the cloverleaf is needed to handle the projected development and growth.

"There is a continual flow of traffic, versus the Texas diamond, where cars can back up on the interstate. The idea is to shoot for the highest and best use of that property," he said.

Because the area at the interchange already has water, sewer and rail access, the location is ready for a boom, he said.

"This is designed with the future in mind," Orangeburg County Planning Director Harold Young said. "Santee is starting to grow and is becoming more of a vibrant energy within the county. Santee is not the same Santee. It could be a lot better situation once they grow and we do what you have to do."

To date, $8 million has already been set aside for the interchange, with $2 million coming from the county's one-penny capital project sales tax, $3 million from the S.C. Department of Transportation and $3 million in federal dollars, according to Orangeburg County Administrator Bill Clark.

Clark and other local officials have gone to Washington to stress the importance of the project, not only for Orangeburg County, but the entire state. They say the inland port will relieve Port of Charleston congestion, as well as congestion on Charleston roads, and help the Upstate economically.

"When you link the port with the Midlands and with the Upstate, it becomes very easy for the congressional delegation to get behind it," Clark said.

The county may have to wait three years to get all the federal funding it needs for the cloverleaf, Clark said.

"We will leave it to the discretion of our congressional delegation to determine what they think (is) the best way to bring about the project funding, but we certainly let them know that we are flexible," he said. "We are looking at a $40 million program, and it could be pretty much distributed equally over a three-year period of time."

While the group was in Washington, county officials met with Marina Cino, acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

"She identified three priorities of the USDOT this year -- to enhance safety, to relieve congestion and to facilitate modernization," Clark said. "When you look at the inland port, it really addresses all the project priorities."

CaroLinks says it still has plans to purchase 789 acres of Orangeburg County land for the inland port project. The company has until October to buy the Orangeburg County property, but wants to move sooner.

Sources close to CaroLinks say the company could move on the property as early as next week.

Robinson said there could be future opportunities for the development of adjacent properties, possibly bringing the total land coverage to more than 1,000 acres.

"Right now, the 789 acres is more than enough to do what we envision the Santee industrial park to be," Robinson said. "We feel this location is ideally suited for an industrial park."

Addressing concerns of congestion in the Santee area as a result of the project, Young said an inland port would most likely help reduce congestion.

Beyond an inland port

In addition to the development of the U.S. 301 and I-95 interchange, Robinson said the commission would like to see the further development of other interchanges within what the county has dubbed the "Global Logistics Triangle," which consists of I-95, I-26 and U.S. 301.

"This is truly the intent," Robinson said. "It would really solidify the points of the triangle."

And solidifying the triangle through the development of interchanges is just one piece of the Global Logistics Triangle, Robinson says.

"We are building on our strengths, and that is interstate access," he said. "You are trying to diversify your portfolio of various sites."

Robinson said the county has a selection of parks to show industrial prospects to address specific needs. Those parks are the Orangeburg County Industrial Park on U.S. Highway 21, the Orangeburg County/City Industrial Park off of U.S. 301 and I-26, and the 541-acre John W. Matthews Park at the corner of U.S. Highways 301 and 176,

"We have got it," Robinson said. "It is all about being able to offer that additional ability to work with a company that comes in and to show them we are flexible in our product portfolio."

T&D Staff Writer Gene Zaleski can be reached by e-mail at gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5551. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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