NEW ORLEANS — The Port of New Orleans will receive $73.8 million under the federal Mega Grant program for its Louisiana International Terminal project, a planned $1.8 billion container port with the eventual goal of handling some 1.2 million containers annually.
The project in Violet, La., announced in late 2022, is located to eliminate height restrictions that currently limit the size of ships that can serve the Port of New Orleans [see “Port of New Orleans announces plans …,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 13, 2022]. It will offer connections to all six Class I railroads and access to four interstate highways.
“The Louisiana International Terminal will become one of the greatest public economic development projects in Louisiana’s history,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said in a press release announcing the grant. “It is an investment that leverages the economic power of the Mississippi River and will expand opportunities for residents and business across our entire state and beyond.”
The terminal will be built through a public-private partnership involving the port, New Jersey-based terminal operator Ports Amerida, and Swiss-based Mediterranean Shipping Co., through its development and investment arm Terminal Investment Limited. The two private companies have committed $800 million toward the project.
“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,” said Port NOLA CEO Brandy D. Christian. “This funding award builds on years of careful market analysis, planning, due diligence, and community outreach to ensure the project adequately addresses the market need and provides community benefits.”
More information on the project is available at its website.
US has always and will always plow taxpayer dollars into infrastructure of all sorts. I don’t have in issue with the infusion of tax dollars into planes, trains and automobiles as well as into ships. It is a big reason why we have the biggest economy in the world.
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The question is what drives the winners of some of these mega grants vs others, and what competing regional projects didn’t make the cut? Curious on any other project nearby whether it be bridge, or rail or whatever that didn’t get funding because New Orleans as a container terminal, hub is way way behind Houston let alone Mobile, AL or Tampa, FL in building out a legit container terminal in the Gulf & at same time not sure if this project will even break ground. I believe it is one of two container terminal projects south of New Orleans, the other in Plaquemines Parish, that have been talked about for years. Kinda a Wilmington, NC mega container terminal on Cape Fear Rier that never went anywhere because of ports north, south and everywhere in between. Feel that a few posters could name an infrastructure project nearby better suited.
Because ports are owned by public agencies.
Violet, LA is down river from New Orleans about 15 miles, in St Bernard Parish (or as the locals would say Saint Buhnawd.)
The ports may be owned by public agencies but they are using tax dollars to compete against each other for the same freight. It’s like my right hand fighting my left hand for the same dollar.
Why are taxpayer dollars being spent on ports all around the country so they can bid against each other for the same freight?