Port NOLA wins more big federal funding for LIT mega terminal

Rendering of completed ouisiana International Terminal (LIT).[Image: Port NOLA

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) says that it has been awarded an additional $226,220,195 million in federal grant dollars to assist in building the Louisiana International Terminal (LIT).

The U.S. Department of Transportation notified Congress that it intends to award this funding through its Infrastructure For Rebuilding America (INFRA) competitive grant program,

In addition to the $226 million INFRA grant, as we reported earlier, the U.S. DOT recently awarded Port NOLA $73.77 million for LIT through its Mega Grant program. Port NOLA has thus now received a total of $300 million in federal grant dollars to support the first construction phase of the $1.8 billion container terminal. The recent federal awards are in addition to private industry partner, state and Port NOLA commitments..

“We are incredibly honored to receive this landmark grant award, which underscores decades of site and market analysis and reflects the recognition of our transformational project on a global scale,” said Port NOLA president and CEO Brandy Christian. “Not only is this the biggest economic development grant in Louisiana history, but also the largest federal investment in a new container terminal in USDOT history. We express our deepest appreciation to louisiana’s federal delegation, state leadership and the Biden administration for their confidence in our vision and look forward to delivering on this investment.”

Construction on the multi-year, phased project is anticipated to begin in 2025, with the first ship wharf opening in 2028.

Learn more about the Louisiana International Terminal project here from our sister publication Railway Age.