Posted on August 31, 2021
The Port of New Orleans has chosen a firm to handle program management and program control services at its planned container facility in St. Bernard Parish.
The board of commissioners on Thursday unanimously approved a $4 million contract for up to three years with HDR Engineering, Inc. a global engineering and consulting firm.
The Omaha, Nebraska-based companywill serve as technical lead for services that include terminal operation and related transportation development, risk management, procurement support, budget and schedule management, permitting and stakeholder coordination and environmental compliance, among others, a news release said.
HDR, which has offices in Metairie, Baton Rouge and Lafayette,most recently worked on the Hugh Leatherman container terminal in Charleston, South Carolina.
Subcontractors for the Port NOLA contract include Evans-Graves Engineers, Inc, based in Baton Rouge and New Orleans; and The Advocacy Partners, LLC, based in New Orleans.
“We are working to deliver a state of the art container terminal that meets the evolving needs of the shipping industry and serves as an economic catalyst for the state and region,” said Brandy D. Christian, president and CEO of the Port of New Orleans and President of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad. “A project of this magnitude requires experienced program management for successful coordination of studies and design needed for a quality project. HDR Engineering’s qualifications include broad expertise, a team that has worked together on similar large container port projects and the deep resources of a global firm with local connections.”
It is the second contract related to the $1.5 billion container terminal. In July, commissioners approved a contract with AECOM for preliminary design and permitting support.
The port in December 2020 acquired property for the terminal and started the permitting process this summer.
The project would occupy around 350 acres with a 3,500-linear-foot wharf within more than 1,000 acres of developable green-field property, the release said.
Port officials have touted the site’s “naturally deep-draft riverfront acreage, a 50-foot Mississippi River Channel, documented ability to navigate ships with a capacity up to 23,000 TEUs, access to six Class I railroads through New Orleans Public Belt Railroad and interstate highways.” They also want to grow their container-on-barge service at the site by partnering with the Port of Baton Rouge and Seacor Marine.
The project is expected to be complete and ready to open in 2027. It also will require public-private partnerships.
