Plaquemines port director reports completed ferry repairs, rail progress and water‑system work

Charles Tillotson, executive director of the Plaquemines Port Harbor and Terminal District, told commissioners at the port meeting that the Pointe Lehash Ferry Landing emergency repair is complete and that the port has invested $5,300,000 in the effort and has another $18,600,000 available to replace the landings over the next four years.

Tillotson said the ferry landing reopening capped “two years and two months of work” on a facility that had been condemned and that the port expects a separate design contract for new landings to move forward soon. “That contract for the new landings is within DOTD today. I think their contract was actually signed this week for the design,” he said.

Why it matters: the repair and planned replacement secure a local river crossing used by residents and emergency services, and the port is tying the landing work to broader capital projects including rail and utility upgrades that affect future cargo capacity and emergency response.

Tillotson briefed commissioners on rail projects the port is pursuing, including work on the Peters Road rail alignment and a long‑awaited redesign of the Peters Road rail bridge. He said the port delivered 10% design documents to Union Pacific and New Orleans Gulf Coast Railway in January and that a 30% design is on target for completion in the fourth quarter. “They released an RFP for the redesign of that bridge,” Tillotson said, adding that an award for reengineering work could come within 30 to 45 days.

He also reported that the port has advanced discussions with APM (APM Terminals) and Maersk about land and alignment for a proposed container terminal, saying port staff and outside engineers have reviewed alignments and “we are moving on the rail. We’re moving on the land purchase.” Commissioner Jurcic asked for APM representatives to attend a future meeting; Tillotson said he will invite them to the next meeting.

On utilities, Tillotson reported progress on a water booster station and said crews found a break in a line that appears to have been caused by a horizontal drill through the pipe. “We did find that we had a line break that looks like somebody did a horizontal drill of some fiber through the water line, and we are looking for the group that’s responsible for that,” he said, noting the port will fix the line and pursue recovery of costs where appropriate. Tillotson said the change order is expected but “it’s not going to be a significant cost to us.”

Tillotson also discussed facility renovations and resilience work: an RFP for a new roof and a planned six‑to‑eight‑month ventilation replacement, and a planned generator bypass so an emergency generator can be deployed quickly. He said the port has selected an IT manager and is advertising for a special assistant to the executive director.

Tillotson highlighted the port’s rebranding and outreach, saying the first phase of the new logo and website launched in March and was shown at the American Association of Port Authorities conference. “We actually have a place in there where we will be doing that on the website, social media, and our grant requests,” he said, and he told commissioners the port will aim to provide metrics on the branding campaign in roughly a year.

The executive director also described plans for an economic impact analysis to support grant work and external messaging. He said the original estimate for that analysis was $100,000 and that the study will be expanded to include long‑range forecasts for operators such as Venture Global. “We will go from 50,000,000 tons a year to over 80,000,000 tons a year within a 2 to 3 year period,” Tillotson said during the meeting when describing projected throughput growth the port expects to capture in its materials.

In public comment, resident Clarence Bridal expressed concern about noise and emissions from expanded port operations. “They’re gonna be running 24 hours a day, and that’s a lot of fumes and stuff coming from it, going in the air,” Bridal said.

Next steps and context: Tillotson said DOTD has moved forward on the bridge redesign procurement, the port continues weekly engagement with prospective terminal operators, and the port will put the generator bypass and the administration building roof work out for procurement as the project designs conclude. He also said planned economic‑impact materials will support federal grant applications and the port’s new public communications strategy.