Leaders of the Port of New Orleans (NOLA) gave a progress report at an Oct. 27 event on efforts to build the $1.5 billion Louisiana International Terminal in St. Bernard Parish.
Biz New Orleans reported that Port NOLA President and CEO Brandy Christian said the updated plan incorporates feedback from the St. Bernard community on "traffic, neighborhood buffers, drainage and more."
"The input we received over the past two years from conversations at our community office, our two Community Advisory Councils, three public open houses and two 30-day public notice periods gave us valuable insight," said Christian. "We are listening, and we will continue to ask for feedback in order to deliver a project that provides opportunity and protects quality of life."
The port hopes the terminal, to be located on nearly 1,100 acres in Violet, La., will serve the larger vessels that are becoming more commonplace in the container industry. Port officials added that, without a terminal downriver from the Crescent City Connection Bridge, the state stands to lose to competing ports in the Gulf of Mexico.
Currently, the project is at the beginning of a federal permitting process required under the National Environmental Policy Act, involving studies on traffic, cultural resources, wetlands, air quality and other topics. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which oversees the process, will analyze the results from those studies and decide if it will issue permits for construction.
The Port of NOLA hopes to break ground in 2025 and to open its first berth in 2028.
"Not only does container shipping deliver goods to our grocery stores and packages to our doorsteps, but it's also how Louisiana manufacturers and agricultural producers get their products to market," Christian explained to Biz New Orleans. "If our state is to remain in the container shipping business — and to retain exports and grow imports — we must build the Louisiana International Terminal."
Michael Hecht, president and CEO of Greater New Orleans Inc., added, "The Port of New Orleans has long been a key driver of our regional and national economy, supporting thousands of jobs. The Louisiana International Terminal is vital to ensuring that our region remains a global logistical hub. What's more, the investments made by the Port of New Orleans will provide well-paying jobs and drive tax revenue across St. Bernard Parish and the region."
New Road Building Key to Entire Project
Port NOLA officials also announced that "massive investments" will be made in sustainability, including shore power that will allow vessels to connect to onshore electricity and to turn off diesel engines while at dock. In addition, they will invest in an electric fleet of equipment, and the terminal will accommodate container-on-barge services, which move containers up and down the river by barge rather than road or rail.
What may be the linchpin of the entire project, though, is the design and construction of a road to get trucks to and from the terminal, according to Biz New Orleans. The port said that construction will be a catalyst to "align public and private resources to make a long-imagined public roadway in Lower St. Bernard into a reality."
The St. Bernard Transportation Corridor, which Port NOLA officials said would connect lower St. Bernard to the interstate system, has received a $50 million commitment in funding from the Louisiana Legislature and has been added to the Metropolitan Transportation Plan.
Earlier in October, the state released $2 million of those funds for the Regional Planning Commission to conduct a feasibility study on the corridor, slated to begin shortly. Plans call for the road to serve the terminal and the public.
The port's engineering team has designed a layout that keeps St. Bernard Highway close to its original location and "includes more buffers to separate neighborhoods from the terminal, an overpass for cars to avoid a rail track crossing, space for the Merrick Cemetery to expand and space for a Parish-planned bike and pedestrian path along the levee."
To address drainage concerns, the facility's blueprints include a system of pumps and canals, and an onsite pumping station to be managed by Port NOLA.
It estimates that the Louisiana International Terminal will deliver an economic impact that begins with construction, grows when the terminal opens, and continues to increase over time. The new terminal will "bring 17,000 new direct and indirect jobs, $1 billion in new tax revenue to the state, $470 million to St. Bernard Parish, and a 15 percent increase in personal income in the parish by 2050," according to port officials.
"Our state's future rests in competing in a global market," Christian said. "So, we must invest in a trade-based economy. We must invest like our Southern-state neighbors or get left behind. And if we do it right, we have the opportunity to be the next generation leader in global trade."
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