Louisiana International Terminal Online Open House

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Welcome

Welcome to the Louisiana International Terminal Online Open House.

Louisiana International Terminal St. Bernard Port of New Orleans

The Louisiana International Terminal is a proposed container terminal in Violet, LA. By welcoming ships that cannot fit under the Crescent City Connection Bridge, the new terminal will keep Louisiana connected to international trade, creating a major economic engine for the state and St. Bernard Parish.

In March 2022, the team behind the Louisiana International Terminal hosted three open houses in St. Bernard Parish to meet with community members. This online open house contains the same information the team presented in person.

Use the menu or the arrows on your screen to advance through this presentation. It covers topics like:

  • The draft layout for the terminal,
  • Our commitments related to traffic, the W. Smith Elementary School, the ballpark, and Merrick Cemetery,
  • The federal permitting process, and
  • Jobs and economic opportunities.

Please send your questions to the project team using the form on the last slide of the presentation.

These open houses were not a part of the federal permitting process. Our team wants to go above and beyond legal requirements to be available to community members who have questions about the terminal.

Project Background

The proposed Louisiana International Terminal will be Louisiana’s gateway to modern global markets. Located on a naturally deep, unobstructed stretch of the Mississippi River in Violet, the facility will welcome large container ships that currently have to bypass our state for other ports.

Over the next two to three years, the terminal will be designed and go through a detailed federal permit process to understand and address its potential impacts on the community and the natural environment. We expect construction to begin in 2025 and the first wharf to open in 2028.

Download this handout to learn more about the timeline for developing the terminal, where we are in the process, and what will come next.

Why Build a Terminal?

Container shipping is how Louisiana products get to market and how we import the products that stock our store shelves and arrive at our doorsteps. The international container business is booming. The number of containers moving in and out of the U.S. has increased significantly over the last ten years. As volume increases, the ships carrying containers are also getting bigger.

The Crescent City Connection Bridge blocks those larger ships from the Port of New Orleans. That limits how many ships can access the current port and puts the state of Louisiana in a vulnerable position. We will lose business to other states and competing ports without a new port downriver.

The Louisiana International Terminal would open our state to larger ships and allow us to stay connected to global markets. The continued shipping activity will benefit our state’s consumers and businesses.

Graphic showing how container volumes in the U.S. have increased over the last 10 years. To handle those containers, ships are getting bigger, but those larger ships are blocked from the Port of New Orleans by the Crescent City Connection Bridge. The graphic also shows the size ships that the new terminal would be able to handle compared to Port NOLA’s Uptown terminal.

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World map showing import and export routes for the Port of New Orleans and the proposed Louisiana International Terminal.

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Graphic showing the common Louisiana goods that move through the Port of New Orleans, such as baby products, furniture, apparel, and foodstuffs.

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Why Violet?

As the need for a downriver container terminal became obvious, the Port of New Orleans considered several potential locations. Riverboat pilots and engineering consultants helped the Port determine which of them would be safe and workable.

Through this process, Violet revealed itself to be the best location for a modern container ship terminal on the Lower Mississippi River because of its:

  • Naturally deep water that is easy to navigate and doesn’t need dredging
  • Existing connections to national rail and road networks
  • Protection from hurricanes and storm surges behind federal levees
  • River current that is parallel to the wharf for safe docking
  • Space for larger ships to dock

The Violet navigation study is available at YourWorkingRiver.com.

Federal Permitting Process

Construction cannot begin until the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issues the necessary permits.

Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the proposed terminal must go through a detailed impact study to determine if the permits for construction should be issued.

To renovate a house or build an addition, a person would need to apply for a permit with finished plans in hand. The federal permitting procedure for projects like the Louisiana International Terminal is different. The terminal will be designed as a part of the two- to three-year process that requires public input. Watch the video for a quick overview of the federal permitting process.

You can also review the graphic on this page or download this handout for more information.

Graphic detailing the environmental impact study process, showing how three different agencies and the public are involved in developing the study, and providing examples of the kinds of things that may be studied, such as wildlife, traffic, air quality, and community assets.

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The Terminal: Layout and Design

To begin the federal permitting process, the design team submitted a permit application to the Army Corps of Engineers. The application included an initial layout for the terminal. This layout is just a starting point. It is not final, and it will change during the two- to three-year permitting process.

Labeled map of the permit application terminal layout, showing container storage on the terminal, St. Bernard Highway and rail lines looping around the terminal to the east, a buffer area separating the terminal from residential neighbors, drainage ponds near Judge Perez Drive, and access roads on Judge Perez Drive.

Click image above to enlarge

Our team must balance a variety of considerations as we design the layout.

    St. Bernard Highway

  • Design options include looping around the terminal, hugging the levee, and other considerations

    Traffic

  • Maintain access for residents
  • Keep terminal traffic out of neighborhoods
  • Work with partners on a third connector roadway (an alternative to St. Bernard Highway and Judge Perez Drive.)

    Rail

  • Design options include looping around the terminal and hugging the levee
  • Minimize noise and traffic

    Drainage

  • Options include drainage ponds, pump stations, etc.
  • Coordinate with parish Master Drainage Plan
  • Maintain or improve drainage conditions, not worsen

    Buffer

  • Clearly separate terminal from neighborhoods
  • Minimize noise
  • Options include green space, sound walls, and other features

    Cemetery

  • Keep in place with room for expansion
  • Easy and safe access

    School and Park Relocation

  • Relocate the existing school and ballpark within the Violet community
  • Build facilities equal to or better than existing facilities

    Environmental

  • Follow industry-leading environmental practices

Community Commitments

As we develop the terminal layout, we are committed to working with Violet residents and the St. Bernard Parish community to design a project that protects the local quality of life.

These commitments include:

  • Identifying options to minimize traffic impacts
  • Supporting a separate project to design and build a third roadway to connect Lower St. Bernard to I-10
  • Building new school and ballpark facilities within Violet that are equal to or better than the existing facilities
  • Keeping Merrick Cemetery in its current location with room for possible expansion
  • Minimizing the impacts to adjacent neighbors, such as noise, terminal visibility, etc.

If you have questions, concerns, or ideas related to your community’s quality of life, come visit us at our Community Connection Office in Violet. We’re located at 6201A E St. Bernard Hwy on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Graphic detailing the commitments Port NOLA is making to the community to maintain the quality of life, such as traffic studies, a third roadway, the school and ballpark relocation, Merrick Cemetery remaining where it is, and adding features to separate the community from the terminal.

Click image above to enlarge

A Third Roadway

Port NOLA is committed to working with local, state, and federal transportation partners to design and build a new elevated roadway outside the levees along the 40 Arpent Canal. This parallel project would connect Lower St. Bernard to the interstate system.

While this roadway is not a Port NOLA project, we are a dedicated partner. Port NOLA is supporting early steps in coordination with the Regional Planning Commission and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.

The new roadway would:

  • Help to relieve traffic congestion that would happen with or without the terminal,
  • Offer an alternative route for trucks,
  • Serve as another hurricane evacuation route for residents in the parish,
  • Attract and keep new economic investments and industries, and
  • Reduce safety concerns and air quality impacts on local roadways.

This third roadway is something local officials and community members have envisioned for years. We believe the terminal can serve as a catalyst to align resources to deliver this much-needed infrastructure.

Conceptual rendering of the potential elevated roadway that would connect Lower St. Bernard to the interstate system.

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Environmental Management

To further protect the quality of life in St. Bernard Parish, the Louisiana International Terminal will go above and beyond the legal requirements for environmental protection.

We are taking additional, voluntary steps to protect the environment, such as:

The Port of New Orleans’ existing terminal already offers the Clean TRIP program and has received the Green Marine certification. Click the links to learn more about each program.

A graphic showing the focus areas and goals of the environmental protection efforts the terminal will participate in, including the Green Marine program, Clean Truck Replacement Incentive Program, and wetland planning.

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Graphic showing results of the Clean TRIP program as of January 2022, including truck replacements, reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, fuel savings, and investments in local air quality.

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Jobs and Economic Opportunities

St. Bernard Parish and the state will benefit from the economic opportunities provided by the Louisiana International Terminal. The project will be a major economic driver for generations to come, according to an economic study prepared by Dr. Dek Terrell with Lewis Terrell and Associates at LSU.

As business at the terminal grows over time, more and more family-supporting jobs will be created both on and off the terminal.

To help locals apply for these jobs, the Port is already working on concepts for workforce development and job training with partners like:

  • Louisiana Economic Development (LED) Fast Start
  • The International Longshoreman's Association
  • Local Community Colleges
  • Regional and Local Economic Development Organizations
A graphic depicting the new direct and indirect jobs in St. Bernard Parish as a result of the terminal. The graphic shows 105 construction jobs in 2025 growing to over 4,000 jobs by 2050. Lastly it shows the types of industries these jobs may be within, such as healthcare, transportation, warehousing, retail, and food service.

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Local Tax Revenue

New tax revenues resulting from the terminal are also expected to grow over time as cargo volumes increase. This will give St. Bernard Parish funds to invest in resources and services for community members.

These projections come from an economic study prepared by Dr. Dek Terrell with Lewis Terrell and Associates at LSU.

Download a handout about the projected economic impact of the proposed terminal here.

If you’re interested in doing business with the Port of New Orleans and the proposed Louisiana International Terminal, register as a vendor at portnola.com/business/procurement.

Graphic that depicts new tax revenue for St. Bernard Parish resulting from the terminal. The graphic shows an estimated $1.3 million per year in 2028 growing to $16.9 million per year in 2050. It also explains what generates taxes, such as property taxes from private companies off terminal and tenant-owned improvements as well as sales tax on taxable goods and services on and off the terminal. Lastly, the graphic shows how those tax dollars can be used to improve quality of life in the community through investment in schools, public safety, drainage, infrastructure, recreation and environmental projects.

Click image above to enlarge

Stay in Touch

Thank you for visiting this online open house!

Please submit your questions, comments, and feedback to our team. We hope you stay involved!

Note: This online open house is not part of the formal public comment period for the federal permitting process. Please continue to provide comments to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.