ST. BERNARD PARISH, La. (WGNO) — Residents and officials, from both state and local agencies, came together to discuss the findings of a report that highlights concerns about the Port of New Orleans’ plan to build a new terminal in St. Bernard Parish.
Financially, the report finds that the site would be a poor decision, stating that the location should be closer to where the river meets the Gulf and allowing more cargo to pass through; ultimately making the location more competitive as well as saving tax dollars.
“If we don’t put it in the best place for all of Louisiana, we’re going to lose out,” Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser said.
The report also found that over 1,700 container trucks will be making daily trips to and from the terminal, which may increase crash rates, as well as air and noise pollution in St. Bernard Parish.
“We do not want any of these trucks on any road, not just trucks in St. Bernard Parish. We do not want these trucks on the roads of our interstate systems,” Save Our St. Bernard President Robby Showalter said.
Concerns of ships turning around are also included, saying they would block 82% of the river, increasing incident chances, which would shut down river traffic and be extremely costly.
However, riverboat Captain E. Michael Bopp said this is an unnecessary concern.
“We do it every day. It happens every day. Multiple times a day and sometimes 20,000 times a year,” Bopp said.
Leaders with the Port of New Orleans said the report is flawed, ignoring key data and research from parties involved in the state’s 50-year container business, and that the St. Bernard Parish location is the best choice for the project moving forward.
“The Violet site is the only site that’s within the federal hurricane protection system and with access to existing transportation networks. Any other site would cost more money in terms of building infrastructure and would have a much bigger impact on traffic while affecting more communities,” Port of New Orleans Press Secretary Kimberly Curth said.
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