The Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans unanimously approved a resolution to move forward with the acquisition of 1,110 acres of land along the Mississippi River for its proposed international container terminal, said officials with the port.
Port of New Orleans (NOLA) officials have said the development of the project, titled Louisiana International Terminal (LIT), is crucial for New Orleans as it strives to keep pace with competitors, like Houston and Mobile.
The property closing was filed in early January.
On its website, Port of NOLA officials say it looked at multiple sites, assessing for land and water feasibility, and determined that Violet, Louisiana, was the most advantageous because of its naturally deep water, proximity to existing rail networks and location inside the levee system.
“Providing the next generation of critical infrastructure which meets the needs of our container carrier partners and provides economic prosperity for St. Bernard Parish, our region and the state of Louisiana, is Port NOLA’s number one priority,” said Port of NOLA CEO Brandy Christian in a previous news release.
St. Bernard Parish President Guy McInnis said in the same statement that he is highly encouraged by the cooperation and partnership between St. Bernard Port and the Port of New Orleans, which he says will benefit both ports and the entire parish.
The project has not been without controversy. Parish residents, with support from several local organizations and businesses, recently filed a lawsuit in an attempt to prevent the facility from being built. Both Port NOLA and the St. Bernard Port are named as defendants in the lawsuit.
In 2021, Port NOLA released the preliminary design concept of the roughly 400-acre terminal, opened a community office in Violet, and engaged community advisory councils for input.
Officials said the next step will be the multi-year permitting process through the Army Corps of Engineers. The public permitting process will include many more studies on the impacts, benefits, and infrastructure investments needed to make the container terminal a successful project for all, particularly the local community.
