By Congressman
Tom Rice
It’s the biggest thing to happen to this area in a long time–bringing job creation, better salaries, and economic diversification to the Pee Dee. It’s the groundbreaking of the Inland Port in Dillon.
Dillon Inland Port will be located in Dillon County near the busy Interstate 95 corridor and serve as an extension of the Port of Charleston. Right now, the Port of Charleston supports one in 11 jobs in South Carolina and contributes $53 billion to our state’s economic output each year. This port is a major economic driver for not only South Carolina but the entire Southeast. It’s currently the fastest-growing major port in America and through construction of the Dillon Inland Port it will only continue to grow.
This inland port will help move cargo between the Port of Charleston and markets in the Southeast, Northeast, and Midwest. Currently, trucks carrying goods travel on Interstate 95 to Interstate 26 to get to Charleston, tearing up the roads and causing traffic congestion. With the Dillon Inland Port, trucks coming down I-95 will unload cargo and use an existing rail line to move the cargo from Dillon to Charleston for shipment. This will result in reduced traffic congestion, pollution, and wear and tear on our roads.
In October 2013, a similar inland port opened in Greer, South Carolina, with the same purpose as the facility in Dillon. Within three years this facility surpassed its five-year projection and currently helps transport goods from major companies like Dollar Tree, Michelin tires, and BMW. It has made the Upstate a magnet for industry development and I’m confident the same will happen in the Pee Dee.
If the Inland Port in Dillon would even be half as successful as the one in Greer, it will uplift our entire district but especially Dillon, Marion, and Marlboro counties, bringing business diversification and jobs back to an area where they are so badly needed.