4 
American Journal of Transportation
American Journal of Transportation  
ajot.com
The $1.8 billion Louisiana International Terminal, as shown in this rendering, is being developed downriver 
from existing Port NOLA facilities.
Louisiana ports bolstering 
infrastructure to handle 
larger ships, greater volumes
By Paul Scott Abbott, AJOT
(HANDLE – continued on 
page 13)
Highlighted by advance-
ment of a nearly $2 billion 
deepwater terminal downri-
ver from New Orleans, Loui-
siana ports – joined by private 
industry partners – are con-
fidently moving ahead with 
wide-ranging plans to effi-
ciently accommodate rising 
cargo activity.
Meanwhile, completion 
of the federally backed $250 
million undertaking bringing 
Mississippi River depth to 
50 feet means safe passage 
for increasingly large vessels 
along much of the nation’s 
most important waterway. 
Led by Port NOLA, Lou-
isiana’s ports also benefit 
from access to all six Class 
I freight railroads, as well as 
major Interstate highways.
Beginning with the seg-
ment of the Lower Missis-
sippi closest to the Gulf of 
America, here’s the lowdown 
on key maritime facilities of 
the Pelican State:
Port NOLA 
The Port of New Orle-
ans, marketed as Port NOLA, 
continues to advance phased 
development of the $1.8 bil-
lion Louisiana International 
Terminal, or LIT, with for-
mation in March of Louisi-
ana International Terminal 
Holdings LLC, a joint ven-
ture between Ports America 
and Mediterranean Shipping 
Co. unit Terminal Investment 
Limited (TiL).
Strategically located in 
St. Bernard Parish, downri-
ver from existing Port NOLA 
facilities and bridge clearance 
restrictions, LIT is designed to 
accommodate the largest con-
tainerships calling the Gulf, 
thus 
strengthening 
supply 
chain resiliency, enhancing 
cargo capacity and expanding 
U.S. exporters’ market access. 
Federal permitting is antic-
ipated by yearend, with the 
first berth opening between 
three and five years after 
groundbreaking.
A partnership between 
the Louisiana Department of 
Transportation and Devel-
opment, Port NOLA and St. 
Bernard Parish is moving 
into its first phase the St. Ber-
nard Transportation Corridor. 
Backed by more than $25 
million in federal funding, 
secured by U.S. Sen. John 
Kennedy, R-La., the elevated 
roadway is to connect LIT 
with the Interstate highway 
system, 
thereby 
improving 
freight mobility, reducing local 
road congestion, enhancing 
hurricane evacuation routes, 
and strengthening community 
safety and resilience.  
St. Bernard Port 
Down the Mississippi River 
from New Orleans, between 
Mile Marker 81 and Mile 
Marker 91, the St. Bernard 
Port, Harbor & Terminal 
District is benefiting from 
complete reconstruction of 
its Chalmette Slip. Now fully 
operational for the first time 
in four decades, the revital-
ized slip supports moves of 
fuel, chemicals, grain and 
other essential cargos. 
Completed last year fol-
lowing a full demolition in 
2020 of waterfront infrastruc-
ture dating back to 1907, the 
$38 million project rehabil-
itates and restores a critical 

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