New Rail Spur in Blackshear, GA

Rail-Served Site in Georgia

While Americans became familiar with the term, “supply chain disruptions,” Georgia’s businesses and partners were busy improving the already world-class transportation network. This includes the addition of a new rail spur in Southeast Georgia.

Regional Economic Development Manager, Jason Coley, has had his boots on the new spur’s site since it was only an idea. Jason has been supporting the region’s partners on the rail project, including Matt Carter, CEcD, the Executive Director for Pierce County Industrial Development Authority. Since day one, Matt has been enthusiastic about the new spur and it’s potential for top industries like food processing and manufacturing.

“We currently have 2,500 feet of rail track with the plans of adding approximately 1,200 more feet in the next three to six months,” Matt shared last fall about the transportation project. Of course, adding a new rail spur isn’t something that happens without planning and partners.

In 2020, the Southeast Georgia Regional Development Authority (SGRDA) announced its proposal for a spur connection off the CSX main rail parallel to U.S. Highway 84 at the Pierce County Industrial Park. The SGRDA is a regional partnership that includes Pierce and Appling, Jeff Davis, and Bacon counties. Pierce is the newest member and sees the regional benefits already occurring.

“Appling, Bacon, and Jeff Davis already had a joint authority established. Pierce County was number one looking for a partner, but also the option for rail. At the end of the day, we resolved both by buying in for land, then investing in rail. It's a great partnership between CSX, the state of Georgia, the joint authority, and Georgia Power,” Matt said.

Georgia Power Economic Development supported the joint development authority and businesses with drawings and technical documents that showed how the site could be developed. Utilizing our experienced engineers, this helped save the communities and businesses time and money during the planning period.

Matt shared the value of this support, “As far as future planning for this industrial part, we have a nice concept showing future plans that allows us to move forward, as well as a selling tool for future industries.”

Engineered drawing of the Pierce County Industrial Park

This January, SGRDA is hosting a “Golden Spur” event to celebrate the project’s progress as well as promote the rail-served site as an economic development opportunity for the region.

You can find the Pierce County Industrial Park on the Select Georgia Site Selection Tool, along with 3,000+ sites, industrial buildings, and office buildings across Georgia.