Savannah has a habit of announcing more than it builds, so this roundup only counts projects the responsible agency has published itself. The port authority for the port, Georgia DOT for the interstates, Chatham County for its sales-tax program, the city for the arena district, the airport commission for the terminal. Where a date exists, it is the date that agency gives. Where one does not, that is noted rather than guessed.
Key Takeaways
– Ocean Terminal is a $1.54 billion rebuild. Its berths are finished; the container yard completes in halves in 2027 and 2028.
– Georgia DOT is widening 22 miles of I-95 from Ford Avenue at Exit 90 to the Savannah River, with a current completion date of April 2029.
– The airport’s four-gate concourse expansion is due Summer 2026.
– Savannah’s Canal District, anchored by a SPLOST-funded arena, got its master plan approved in October 2025.
What is happening at the port?
The largest single project in the region is a terminal rebuild. Georgia Ports Authority describes it plainly: “The $1.54 billion overall project will allow the 200-acre facility to serve two large container ships simultaneously” (Georgia Ports Authority). The target is “2 million TEU annual capacity” once the work is done.
The waterside half is already behind them. “Phase I and Phase II renovations have been completed, delivering a total of 2,650 feet of berth.” The landside half runs longer: “The first half of the Ocean Terminal container yard renovation will be completed in 2027, the second half in 2028.”
For a buyer, the port is not scenery. It is why the freight corridors below are being rebuilt at the same time, and why industrial hiring keeps landing west of the city rather than east of it.
What is changing on the roads?
Two interstate programs, at different stages. The nearer-term one for anyone commuting from the south is the I-95 widening. Georgia DOT describes “the construction of a single lane widening (12-ft wide permanent lane) in each direction along the Interstate 95 (I-95) corridor between interchanges from SR 144/Ford Ave (Exit 90) to the Savannah River,” adding that “The existing outside full depth shoulder will be converted to the permanent lane. The total length of the project is 22.025 miles. All work will be within the existing right-of-way” (Georgia DOT).
That is the Richmond Hill to Savannah River stretch, across Bryan, Chatham and Effingham counties. The dashboard is worth reading closely before you assume it is nearly done. Status is “Under Construction,” but the notice to proceed is dated 8/28/2026, construction is “0.00%” complete, and the current completion date is 4/30/2029. The separate work completion date field is still blank. Treat April 2029 as the department’s own current estimate rather than a fixed finish, and expect this one to be live traffic for years.
The second program is the interchange itself. The 16@95 Improvement Projects carry a “Contract Value $289.9M” and cover “reconstructing the interchange at I-16 and I-95 in Chatham County … and widening I-16 to relieve traffic congestion,” including “Widening I-16 mainline corridor toward the inside median from two to three lanes in each direction from I-95 to I-516” and “Constructing/rehabilitating 11 bridges” (Georgia DOT fact sheet).
That fact sheet, dated 18 September 2025, says substantial completion “is currently anticipated for late Q4 2025” and that punch-list work continues afterward. One piece is already in service and worth knowing about in hurricane season: a “two-lane, emergency-use median crossover on I-16 between I-95 and SR 307/Dean Forest Road to aid in evacuations.”
What is the county building?
Chatham County funds most of its capital work through a sales tax, and the current round is ending. “Chatham County’s SPLOST 7 started in 2020 and will be collected through 2026” (Chatham County).
Where it went matters more than the label. “Both road improvements and drainage projects also recieved $30 million each from SPLOST 7.” Drainage is the line item to read twice if you are shopping anywhere low-lying. On the buildings side, “$63 million dedicated to the new Gadsden Courthouse” and “Another $4.5 million will expand the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum.”
Some road work runs well past the collection window. The county’s own project table lists Little Neck Road at $9,800,000 with a completion date of 12/27/2028, so a project being “funded” and a project being finished are years apart here.
What is happening on the west side of downtown?
An arena district. The city calls the Canal District “one of the City of Savannah’s premier planning and development initiatives,” and locates it “on the west side of Savannah near the intersection of Gwinnett Street and Stiles Avenue,” anchored by “the new SPLOST-funded arena” (City of Savannah).
The plan is adopted, not just proposed: “On October 9, 2025, the Savannah City Council unanimously approved the Canal District Master Plan.” That is the kind of thing that moves values on the blocks around it over years rather than months, and the city’s own page is where to watch for the next phase.
What is the airport adding?
Four gates. The airport commission describes “a four-gate easterly expansion of the concourse at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport,” which “adds an additional four gates with new seating options, public restrooms, new food and beverage selections and additional lease space,” with a completion date given as “Summer 2026” (Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport).
More gates generally means more nonstop routes over time, which is a real factor for anyone buying here while working somewhere else.
What about jobs?
The visible pattern is heavy industry and the logistics chain feeding it, west of the city. One example with a published number: “HydroFleet announced it is investing nearly $33 million in Pooler to construct a hydrogen production and fueling station that will service environmentally friendly heavy-duty hydrogen fuel cell trucks,” a facility that “will initially refuel seven to 14 trucks a day with future capacity reaching 50 trucks a day” (Savannah Economic Development Authority).
The larger manufacturing story sits next door in Bryan County, and we cover it separately in our guide to the Metaplant effect on Bryan County.
What does this mean if you are buying?
Three practical reads. Growth pressure points west and south, toward the port, the interstates and the plants, which is where new construction has been going. Drainage is a funded county priority, so treat it as a known problem worth diligence on any specific lot. And the timelines are long: a container yard finishing in 2028 and an interstate dated 2029 are not things to price into an offer today, but they matter if you plan to stay.
Our Savannah market update covers what prices are actually doing, and the Savannah and Hunter Army Airfield community page collects the area links in one place. For the same treatment further south, see what’s coming to Hinesville.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Port of Savannah still expanding?
Yes. Georgia Ports Authority describes Ocean Terminal as a $1.54 billion project on a 200-acre site, rebuilt to serve two large container ships at once and offer 2 million TEU of annual capacity. The berth renovations are complete at 2,650 feet, and the container yard finishes in halves in 2027 and 2028.
When will the I-95 widening be finished?
Georgia DOT’s project dashboard gives a current completion date of 4/30/2029. It lists the 22.025-mile widening from Ford Avenue at Exit 90 to the Savannah River as under construction across Bryan, Chatham and Effingham counties, with a notice to proceed of 8/28/2026 and construction 0.00% complete. Treat 2029 as the department’s own estimate and check the dashboard before relying on it.
What is the Canal District?
A City of Savannah development initiative on the west side of the city, near Gwinnett Street and Stiles Avenue, anchored by a new arena funded through the county sales tax program. Savannah City Council unanimously approved its master plan on October 9, 2025, so it is an adopted plan rather than a proposal.
Does SPLOST 7 money cover drainage?
Yes. Chatham County reports that road improvements and drainage projects each received $30 million from SPLOST 7, the round that started in 2020 and is collected through 2026. Individual projects can run well past that window; the county lists Little Neck Road at $9.8 million with a 2028 completion date.
Checking a specific address
Agency pages change, so before you write an offer, look at the county’s project list for the road you would live on and the city’s page for anything adopted nearby. To have that pulled for a specific address, get in touch.