U.S. Senator John Kennedy requested and received a $15M allocation to move planning, environmental and engineering work for the St. Bernard Transportation Corridor forward.

NEW ORLEANS - March 13, 2024 - The St. Bernard Transportation Corridor, a long-needed roadway for St. Bernard Parish that will connect the new $1.8 billion Louisiana International Terminal (LIT) to the interstate system, will receive $15 million in federal funding as part of the recently passed Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies (THUD) Act for 2024.

U.S. Senator John Kennedy requested and received the allocation to move planning, environmental and engineering work for the project forward. The award is one of the ten largest investments in highway infrastructure programs from the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act of 2024 and the largest award in Louisiana.

“With this $15 million investment, we’re helping grow Louisiana’s economy and creating good jobs here at home. When completed, the St. Bernard Transportation Corridor will also ease local traffic by connecting Lower St. Bernard to the interstate system,” said U.S. Senator John Kennedy (R-La.).

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) continues to prioritize development of the St. Bernard Transportation Corridor as a parallel project with construction of the Louisiana International Terminal. The corridor project will consist of an elevated roadway connecting the future LIT in Violet with Interstate 510 to create a new major artery in and out of St. Bernard Parish.

“We want to express our sincerest gratitude to U.S. Senator John Kennedy for helping deliver a road that has been sought after by St. Bernard Parish leaders and residents for years,” said Port NOLA President & CEO Brandy D. Christian. “We have worked diligently with local, state, and federal partners over the last five years to facilitate development of the St. Bernard Parish Corridor and we are pleased our new state-of-the-art terminal will serve as the catalyst to finally make this vital infrastructure project a reality. There’s no question it will support future growth for the people of St. Bernard Parish.”

In January, the Port of New Orleans Board of Commissioners awarded a contract to WSP USA, Inc. for consulting services to develop a public-private partnership strategy for the St. Bernard Transportation Corridor. As part of this work, WSP will analyze potential financing structures, delivery methods, project governance, and stakeholder engagement.

The State of Louisiana committed $50 million for the design of the St. Bernard Transportation Corridor; and in June, the Regional Planning Commission awarded a contract to GIS Engineering, LLC to study the corridor and other roadway improvements that will support LIT in Violet.

Earlier this year, Port NOLA announced that it has been awarded an additional $226,220,195 in federal grant dollars, to assist in building the Louisiana International Terminal which will create thousands of jobs, drive the economy and position Louisiana as the premier international Gulf gateway.

The U.S. Department of Transportation notified Congress that it intends to award this funding through its Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) competitive Grant Program, which aims to advance the Biden administration’s priorities to rebuild U.S. infrastructure through funding of multimodal freight and highway projects.

In addition to the $226 million INFRA Grant, the U.S. DOT also recently awarded Port NOLA $73.77 million through its MEGA Grant program, totaling $300 million in federal grant dollars to support the first construction phase of the $1.8 billion container terminal. That is the largest federal investment in a new container terminal in US DOT history. LIT has also garnered support from more than a dozen ports in six states as well as major trade and agriculture associations throughout the heartland of America.

New Jersey-based Ports America, one of North America’s largest marine terminal operators, and Geneva, Switzerland-based Mediterranean Shipping Company, through its terminal development and investment arm Terminal Investment Limited (TiL), have also committed $800 million toward the project.

Construction for LIT is slated to begin in 2025 and the first berth to open in 2028.