Posted on December 20, 2023
NEW ORLEANS — Port of New Orleans scored a nearly $74 million grant to move forward with building a new container terminal in St. Bernard parish.
Robby Showalter is the president of Save our St. Bernard.
He’s voiced his concerns time and time again, saying the location of the terminal is too much for the area.
“We are a small parish, and we are two miles long four miles wide, so this type of project would totally devastate our community it will be overwhelming because it will take over a giant portion of our parish,” said Showalter.
The multi-million-dollar grant comes from the Federal Infrastructure Act. Congressman Troy Carter says this project will bring an economic boom by accommodating the Gulf of Mexico’s largest ships.
“This investment will give our port an opportunity to be competitive, to push back against Houston and other ports. It puts us in a tremendous place of advantage when growing at port, growing our economy,” said Congressman Troy Carter.
The entire project is set to cost a total of $1.8 billion but is still pending permits.
Port of New Orleans is hoping to start construction in 2025 with the goal of creating numerous jobs and boosting our community, but residents feel this project will do the opposite.
Statement from Brandy D. Christian, President and CEO of the Port of New Orleans and CEO of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad:
“On behalf of the entire team at the Port of New Orleans, I would like to thank Governor John Bel Edwards, Louisiana’s federal delegation and the Biden Administration for sharing our vision to build a new, efficient gateway to serve the entire state of Louisiana and America’s Heartland,” said Brandy D. Christian, President and CEO of the Port of New Orleans and CEO of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad. “With Louisiana’s unmatched inland connections and with no bridges in its way, the new Louisiana International Terminal will meet market demands for much-needed supply chain solutions and bring prosperity to our region for generations to come. This funding award builds on years of careful market analysis, planning, due diligence, and community outreach to ensure the project adequately addresses the need and provides community benefits. We also look forward to working with the incoming State legislature and Administration to deliver this critical project.
“These funds are in addition to our private partners’ and Port NOLA’s financial commitments, which will support the first phase of terminal construction slated to begin in early 2025.”
