By Dan McCue

ORANGEBURG -- Congressman James E. Clyburn believes a new cloverleaf interchange at the crossroads of Interstate 95 and S.C. Highway 301 is so vital to the development of Orangeburg's Global Logistics Triangle that he's vowed to reorder his legislative priorities to get the project funded.

"Over the past two legislative sessions I've gotten a total of $4 million for the project, but I've never sought a large sum of money for it because I didn't want to tie up precious federal dollars in someone's dreams of building a logistics center in Santee if they couldn't make it a reality," said Clyburn, House Majority Whip.

Clyburn's priorities changed when Jafza International, a company owned by the royal family of Dubai through its Dubai World holding company, announced its intention to build a $600 million logistics hub that will eventually employ between 8,000 and 10,000 people.

"When somebody comes along and commits to a project like that, and can carry it off, that changed things considerably," Clyburn said. “From the first, I asked them to convince me they were for real, and they have.

"I've already told several of my colleagues (in Washington) that I'm going to need their help on this," he added.

The interchange could cost between $40 million and $60 million, according to the S.C. Department of Transportation. Currently, about $10.5 million has been committed to the project, with state and local funds being added to the $4 million the congressman has earmarked for the work.

Clyburn said revitalizing Orangeburg, which is part of his congressional district, has been a priority since he first was elected to Congress 15 years ago. For 13 to 14 of those years, he's also been a champion of developing an “inland port” or logistics facility in the area, he said.

"But the real credit for keeping this idea alive goes to others," Clyburn said.

Among those he credited for keeping the dream of a logistics triangle alive until someone could come along to fulfill it were the Orangeburg Economic development Commission, the old tri-county chamber of commerce that included Orangeburg, Dorchester and Berkeley counties, the Rotary Club of Santee, and state Sen. John W. Matthews, D-Orangeburg, whom Clyburn described as a visionary.