UPS operations in Albany will get boost with cargo ramp expansion project

ALBANY – The cargo ramp at Southwest Georgia Regional Airport is in line for a signification expansion that would enhance the operations of shipping giant UPS.

“They’re needing more room now to park their planes and store their ground support equipment,” Albany Transportation Director David Hamilton said.

The director gave a briefing on the project to the Albany City Commission during a Tuesday work session.

The proposal will expand the current 39,000-square-yard cargo ramp by another 12,000 square yards. The company’s cargo operations at the Albany airport are the second-largest in Georgia and 94th in the nation, according to information provided by city staff to commissioners.

“By doing that, it allows them (UPS) to grow and expand at the airport,” Hamilton said of the project.

Cargo that is flown into Albany is distributed in several Southeastern states, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia and parts of South Carolina, he said.

Funding for the project will come from a $3.6 million award through the federal Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development Transportation Grants Program. An additional $200,000 will come from state funding, with the city matching that amount.

The local share is eligible for reimbursement through the Passenger Facility Charge program.

With the ramp project in the works, along with a new hangar facility and nearly completed general aviation terminal set to begin operations, the airport puts Southwest Georgia Regional in good shape compared to similar facilities in cities like Columbus and Valdosta, Hamilton said.

The general aviation terminal is a roughly $7 million project funded with federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act money, along with other federal and state funds plus local tax funding, including the transportation special-purpose local-option sales tax (T-SPLOST). The $9 million hangar project was funded completely with CARES Act funds.

“They don’t have the facilities like we have,” Hamilton said. “We were fortunate to get the CARES Act funds and have shovel-ready projects.”

The city Transportation Department is currently looking toward the future with work on a 20-year master plan under way and scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2025.

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