A mediated settlement of a decade-long fight has opened the way for construction of a new, $800-million container terminal and port-access road in Charleston, S.C. On Aug. 6, the South Carolina State Ports Authority and the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League concluded several months of negotiations with an agreement on specific actions to monitor and reduce air emissions from port operations and mitigate gridlock through increased use of rail connections. The settlement ends a 2005 court challenge regarding permits by the League, but the battle dates back to 1999, when the League objected to an earlier plan because of emissions and gridlock, says a spokeswoman. The Ports Authority calls the new terminal its “top strategic priority.” Using a design by Moffatt & Nichol, Long Beach, Calif., and under construction management by Parsons Brinckerhoff, New York City, the plan is to construct a 280-acre container terminal as well as a storage yard and support areas in the old Charleston Navy Base. So far, $105 million worth of demolition, site prep and containment-wall construction has been completed. The first phase is scheduled to be finished in December 2016 or as demand dictates, according to a spokesman for the Ports Authority.