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have major
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Land around Bolton and eastern Columbus County quietly gained value last week with the announcement of a deep-water port to be built near Southport.
The new port is expected to have a major impact across the region when it is completed an estimated six to eight years from now. Officials say the new port, which will be considerably larger than the one in Wilmington, will create thousands of new jobs. Columbus County will benefit greatly.
Here’s why: not only will hundreds of workers be needed at the port, large manufacturing plants will almost certainly spring up nearby. The port will be able to handle some of the largest cargo ships in the world, and in the changing world economy where free trade is now the norm, the need for ports through which to import and export large quantities of goods will be great.
International trade is expected to double by 2020. Even now, ports like New York, San Francisco and San Diego have ships anchored offshore for days waiting for berths.
The 600-acre site is expected to handle two million cargo containers a year, which would rival the volume of the Charleston port. Because there is abundant land in eastern Columbus County and the price is still affordable, the chances of luring industry and distribution warehouses are good.
To take it a step further, I-74 will almost certainly have to be constructed from Bolton to Southport at some point. A two-lane N.C. 211 won’t be able to handle the truck traffic nor the numbers of workers who will be commuting to the port daily.
Bolton and surrounding areas are in a unique position because they are equidistant from Wilmington and Southport. Columbus County is already a bedroom community for the coastal areas, supplying workers and other services, so not only will new housing spring up in the area, but distribution centers and warehouses will become commonplace, particularly if N.C. 211 is improved.
Columbus County would be wise to anticipate the growth the port will bring and make plans to capitalize on it.