Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) will receive US$96.595 million in state funding to promote international trade and prepare for future growth.
The funds will be used to support expansion projects at the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal and the Jourdan Road Cold Storage Terminal, along with new transportation projects in Orleans and St. Bernard Parish.
“Together, these projects will position Port NOLA to take full advantage of current cargo opportunities, including serving as an alternative gateway to the West Coast, while preparing infrastructure to meet the needs of tomorrow,” commented Brandy D. Christian, president and CEO of Port NOLA and CEO of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad.
With demand for containers continuing to grow globally, Port NOLA is investing in its existing shipping assets while planning for the future with the US$1.5 billion Louisiana International Terminal.
This is a new container facility in St. Bernard Parish that will keep Louisiana competitive among other Gulf states and is expected to create jobs and opportunities for the region and the state.
“The St. Bernard Transportation Corridor project will provide multiple benefits, including a route to efficiently handle cargo entering and leaving the new terminal,” said Christian.
On the Riverfront, the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal Container Crane Expansion Project received US$8.1 million, fulfilling the Legislature’s US$28.1 million commitment to the overall US$120 million project.
The investment is highlighted by four new 100-gauge container gantry cranes, which arrived in December and will be operational next month.
These cranes are essential to Port NOLA’s overall plan for the gateway, which includes optimising facilities in New Orleans and building the new terminal in St. Bernard Parish, according to a statement.
At the same time, in East New Orleans, US$7.995 million is committed to completing the US$49 million expansion of Lineage Logistics of Port NOLA’s Jourdan Road cold storage terminal. The investment completes the state’s US$11 million commitment to the project.
One of two major Lineage facilities at the Port of New Orleans, the cold-storage complex at Jourdan Road along the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal will grow from 14,864 to 28,242 m².
