b'20American Journal ofTransportation ajot.comPort of South Louisianas MatthewsPort of Caddo-Bossier says infrastructure bill helpswelcomes newest tenant Louisiana and Mississippi ports Sunny Point Aggregates Groundhasbeenbrokenshale drilling. By Stas Margonanis, AJOT for The Port of Caddo-Boss- Thisprojectisawin-iersnewesttenant,Sunnywin for the area, said Walter Paul Matthews, the exec- (IllinoisWaterway),(MajorMatthews previously servedPoint Aggregates. The companyBigby, President of the Caddo-utive director of the Port ofRehabilitation):$52.52mil- as deputy director at the PortisbuildinganewsandandBossierPortCommission. South Louisiana, says recentlion (funded to completion)ofPlaquemineswhereheproppants processing facilityThe dredging will create 40 enactment of the new Infra- Matthewssaysamajorhelpednegotiatemulti-mil- at The Port. When completed,new jobs for the area. At the structureBillsignedbytheadvantage of transporting prod- lion-dollarterminalleasesthe new facility will occupysame time, the dredging will Presidentandsupportedbyucts on the inland waterwaysand helped develop a private- a43-acretractofriverfronthelptoalleviateflooding theLouisianaCongressionalistheenvironmentalcom- public partnership to expandpropertyinanareaknownalong the Red River. delegationwillhelpLoui- ponent:transportingbytherailservice.HebeganhisasScopiniIsland,whichisThis project is a joint proj-sianaandMississippiportswatermeansmuchlessfuelport career at the Port of Newlocated in Bossier Parish.ect between Performance Prop-expand and provide an alter- requiredbytowboatsthanOrleans. SunnyPointAggregatespants,theparentcompanyof native to congestion at Westconsumed by trucks or loco- In an interview with AJOT,planstoremove45millionSunnyPointAggregatesand Coast and East Coast ports. motivesandsolessemis- Matthews said he was focusedtonsoffracsandfromanThe Port of Caddo-Bossier. We are excited and thank- sions:Anytimeyoucanon: oxbow lake off the Red River.The Port of Caddo-Bossier ful for the President signingmovecargoonwateritsDealingwithagricultureThe company anticipates thecheckedanumberofboxes theinfrastructurebillintofarmoreenvironmentallyand the marketprojectwillgenerate3mil- thatwewerelookingfor, law and for the support fromfriendlythanmovingiton Infrastructure needslion tons of frac sand a year.saidPerformanceProppants ourLouisianaCongressio- land. And many cargo ownersFocusinginonlong-termThisadditionalproductwillPresident Bill Bowdon. First, nal delegationfor gettingare looking to improve their(HELPScontinued onhelptoreducecostsassoci- (WELCOMEScontinued thatbillpassed.Wedontenvironmental footprint. page 21) atedwiththeHaynesvilleon page 21)wanttobestagnantonthe LowerMississippiriver So,whenyoulookatthe WaterResourcesDevelop-ment Act (WRDA) and look at expanding these locks on theriversyoucanseethat industryandtheenviron-mentcangohandinhand andmaximizethemove-ment of cargo and reduce the carbon footprint. Companies are willing to payto do this. And on the Mississippi River and on the Gulf Coast we want to demonstrate that we are a viable alternative to port congestion on the West and East Coast.ThePorthasanational impact:Weconnect33 statesthroughtheMissis-sippiRiveranditstributar-ies so anytime we can have more efficient lock and dam systemstomovecargoup anddowntheriveritreally expands the economic might of the Mississippi River and the amount of cargo we can move up and down.ValidatingMatthewsasser-tionwastheU.S.Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) announcementonJanuary 19th that it will fund the fol-lowinginlandnavigation constructionprojectsutiliz-ing$2.22billionfromthe Infrastructure Bill.According to Waterways Council Inc, which represents waterwaysoperators,these projects will now be funded:KentuckyLock(Tennes-seeRiver):$465.49million (funded to completion) MontgomeryLock(Ohio River):$857.71million (funded to completion) LockandDam25(Upper Mississippi River) (Navigation &EcosystemSustainability Program (NESP): $732 million (funded to completion) ThreeRivers(Arkansas River): $109.15 million (spend plansummaryliststhisas fundedtocompletion,but theprojectisauthorizedfor $184.39 million)T.J. OBrien Lock and Dam'