Posted on September 2, 2021
The Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans has awarded a contract for programme management and control services to HDR Engineering, as part of the due diligence and permitting process for the new Louisiana International Terminal container facility.
Progress on the container terminal project to date includes land acquisition in December 2020, initiation of the permitting process in June 2021, an award to AECOM for preliminary design and permitting support in July 2021, and ongoing engagement with industry and community stakeholders.
The next steps will include consideration and evaluation of a potential terminal operator and financial partners.
Brandy D. Christian, president and CEO of the Port of New Orleans and President of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad, said: “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.
“A project of this magnitude requires experienced programme 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.”
HDR Engineering will serve as the 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.
The company has most recently worked on the Hugh Leatherman container terminal in Charleston, South Carolina.
Sub-consultants for the contract include Evans-Graves Engineers, based in Baton Rouge and New Orleans as well as The Advocacy Partners, LLC, based in New Orleans. The up to US$4,000,000 programme management contract has a term of up to three years.
The project would occupy approximately 350-acres with a 3,500 ft wharf within more than 1,000 acres of developable green-field property.
The site, located within the federal government’s US$14bn flood protection system, features naturally deep-draught riverfront acreage, a 50-ft Mississippi River Channel, the ability to navigate ships with a capacity up to 23,000 teu, ability to grow Port NOLA’s container-on barge service, access to six Class I railroads through New Orleans Public Belt Railroad and access to the interstate highway system.
Transportation infrastructure projects that accommodate industry and St. Bernard Parish needs beyond the terminal footprint are to be coordinated for “maximum positive impact”, including the vision of a dedicated truck route.
Acreage beyond the terminal site will include space to accommodate distribution centers, value-added and logistics-related businesses, and buffer operations from the community and provide for public benefit spaces.
