The Port of New Orleans and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development have signed an agreement to advance the long-discussed St. Bernard Transportation Corridor — a proposed elevated highway that would link the planned Louisiana International Terminal in Violet to the interstate system.
The project, expected to cost around $1 billion, is seen as critical to handling the thousands of trucks that will serve the new container terminal, which is scheduled to open in 2028 if it overcomes permitting hurdles.
Port and state officials say the new road would also improve local traffic flow and provide a hurricane evacuation route.
“This project addresses both the economic and safety needs of our state,” said DOTD Secretary Glenn Ledet, calling it a “strategic link between our international trade system and our communities.”
The agreement comes five months after the New Orleans Regional Planning Commission released its long-awaited feasibility study outlining several potential routes, all involving an elevated expressway over the Central Wetlands. The most favored option would connect directly from the Violet terminal to Paris Road and onto the interstate.
Port NOLA President and CEO Beth Branch said the partnership with DOTD marks “an important milestone” in moving both the terminal and corridor forward “with one unified vision for our region’s future.”
Still, the road — like the multibillion-dollar terminal project it would serve — remains controversial. The new terminal has long been considered crucial if New Orleans wants to continue to compete for international container ship business as vessels grow ever larger. Advocates also have said the facility is needed to attract new manufacturing and distribution investment to the region.
Many St. Bernard Parish residents and leaders, however, continue to oppose the terminal’s location, warning it will bring truck congestion, noise and wetlands destruction.
St. Bernard Parish President Louis Pomes has said he is “firmly opposed” to the terminal but wants a say in which road alternative is chosen if it moves ahead. “If we lose that fight, we refuse to leave our people exposed,” he said in May.
Army Corps study
The terminal itself is still awaiting key federal approval. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers held a public hearing in May as part of its environmental review under the Clean Water and Rivers and Harbors acts, taking written comments through early June. The Corps is now reviewing those submissions and could issue a decision later this year, according to Port NOLA officials. Until the Corps signs off, construction on the terminal — and any related road work — cannot begin.
Port officials plan to seek a private partner to finance and operate the elevated road as a toll facility, with DOTD providing technical support and oversight of required federal environmental studies.