Posted on August 22, 2025
Louisiana’s backlog of port projects is growing, with billions of dollars in infrastructure improvements waiting years for state funding, The Center Square writes.
Since 2019, applications have piled up under the state’s Port Priority Fund, a program that helps finance public port upgrades. But annual funding—now about $40 million—lags far behind demand, according to Julia Fisher-Cormier, head of the Office of Multimodal Commerce.
This week lawmakers added another project to the queue: $11 million in dock expansions at the Cameron Parish Port, requiring $9 million in state support and promising 15 jobs at an annual salary of $55,000. But like dozens of others, it may sit unfunded for years. Currently, 28 projects worth more than $600 million remain only partially funded, with the state’s share at roughly $210 million.
Lawmakers warn Louisiana is falling behind competitors like Texas, which invests up to $250 million annually in its ports.
“Forty million just doesn’t seem to be enough,” says state Sen. Gary Carter.
