Approval has been given for a $600 million toll road project in Louisiana. The senate committee gave its backing for the project, which will be part of a wider plan to develop port facilities.
The $2 billion container port development project in St Bernard Parish is controversial however and has been criticised by some local groups. The new toll road connection would be required to facilitate speedy access to and from the port, offering the capacity for heavy vehicles. The port project is intended to boost the local economy. It has been put forward by the Port of New Orleans and is intended to boost the competitiveness of the facility, with the toll road required to handle the additional vehicle movements expected. The new port facility would be able to handle the new generation of larger container vessels that are currently unable to travel further up river due to clearance restrictions from the Crescent City Connection bridge.
Called, the St Bernard Transportation Corridor, this new toll road would be elevated and link the new terminal in Violet, Louisiana with I-510. The Port NOLA has tasked WSP with advising on a PPP solution to finance the construction and operation of the route.
