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Plaquemines Port Council advances ferry, landing and infrastructure projects and authorizes state grant application
Summary
The Plaquemines Parish Council received project updates May 28 on ferries, landing replacements, a rail bypass, bridge work and a water booster station; it adopted a resolution authorizing application to the Louisiana Port Construction and Development Priority Program and designated Patrice Bell as the technical representative.
The Plaquemines Parish Council, sitting as the governing authority for the Plaquemines Port, on May 28 heard detailed status reports from port executives on vessel and capital projects and unanimously authorized preparation of a state grant application to support port improvements.
Port staff told the council that ferry service remains in operation at Belle Chasse and Pointe-a-la-Hache and that MV Belle Chasse II is nearly complete and will begin taking on fuel and other components to return to service. The MV Port Authority II remains at LACAT, and port staff said LACAT’s legal team requested a meeting to discuss outstanding issues.
The port presented a new-build diesel-electric ferry project budgeted at $26.5 million that is anticipated to go out to bid in July 2026 and shared a rendering of the final design. The Pointe-a-la-Hache (PALH) landing replacement is proceeding under an $18.6 million grant with estimated construction completion in December 2028. Design for replacement barges at Belle Chasse/Scarsdale has just begun (roughly seven months for design and an additional nine months anticipated for construction and placement); permit drawings are underway with an expected six-month permitting process and an estimated construction cost of $2 million.
Staff said the Belle Chasse security dock will require two separate funding streams — Federal Transit Administration funds for barge purchase and port-security funds for barge-dock support — and that the port has submitted markups of design basis documents and is awaiting feedback.
On transportation projects, port staff reported an amendment to a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement was signed and forwarded to CSRS; CSRS was recently acquired by Woodward, and HDR will handle detailed design work. Port staff described a potential full realignment of Peters Road to relocate rail out of downtown Gretna. For the Peters Road vehicle bridge, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) has taken the lead with box culverts scheduled to go to bid in July 2026 and preliminary and detailed design to follow.
Port engineers told the council the water booster station and feedlines project is in its final phase with Fleming serving as contractor and an anticipated completion date in July 2026; DOTD will conduct a walkthrough upon project completion.
Separately, the council added and adopted Resolution No. 26-193 authorizing the Plaquemines Port Harbor & Terminal District to prepare and submit an application to the Louisiana Port Construction and Development Priority Program for port improvement assistance and designating Patrice Bell, the port’s Chief Administrative Officer, as the authorized representative for technical matters related to the application. Commissioner Ronnie Newsom moved the resolution and Commissioner Carlton M. LaFrance, Sr. seconded it; the roll-call vote was recorded as all members present voting YES, with Commissioner Stuart J. Guey absent.
The application authorization does not commit the port to begin construction; the resolution states that, if funding is approved, the port will execute a Project Agreement and a Statement of Sponsorship prior to commencing work. The next step is for port staff to prepare the formal application and any technical documentation required by the state program.
