The New Orleans region is fortunate to be the most southern urbanized area on the Mississippi River. Due to its location, there are five major ports, six class I railroads and one public short line railroad, two major airports and four interstate roadways.
See the First New Orleans Regional Freight Plan
In Fall 2021, the RPC released the Freight Profile 2020-2021, which captures existing freight conditions for SE Louisiana. It tells the story of regional freight movements today and it is considered Part I of the first Regional Freight Mobility Plan.
Freight analysis and discussion, in partnership with New Orleans Freight Roundtable participants, culminated in the 2022 New Orleans Regional Freight Mobility Plan. It will be used as a guiding document for the next five years of freight planning to provide a foundation for policy, projects, and studies that benefit freight
Federal law requires that Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) conduct transportation planning activities to support the movement of freight. The Regional Planning Commission, MPO for the eight-parish New Orleans region, established a Freight Roundtable in 2014 to bring public and private sector freight based entities together to share information, identify needs and inform the MPO planning and project prioritization process. With the expertise and commitment of Roundtable participants, the 2022 New Orleans Regional Freight Mobility Plan was created and subsequently adopted by the Transportation Policy Committee in October 2022.
The next Freight Roundtable will focus on informing the freight portion of the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) 2027–2056. The MTP is the region’s long-range transportation planning document, updated every four years.
About the MTP
Purpose: Evaluate current trends, identify future needs, and establish investment priorities.
Impact: Serves as the foundation for RPC’s programs and studies.
Connection to TIP: Directly informs the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) 2027–2030, which outlines short-term transportation projects.
Meeting Goals
Review past goals and objectives for freight to determine if they remain valid.
Identify new challenges, concerns, and emerging needs.
Gather stakeholder input to help guide the region’s freight planning.
📄 A copy of the 2022 Freight Plan is available on our website for reference.
We sincerely appreciate your continued involvement. Your insights and collaboration are vital as we work to build a stronger, more connected regional transportation future.
Agenda and discussion items will be shared soon.
October 22, 2025
January 28, 2026
April 22, 2026
July 22, 2026
October 28, 2026
All meetings are normally held in the large conference room at the Regional Transportation Management Center located at 10 Veterans Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70124. Meetings begin at 10:00 am unless otherwise noted. Please be advised that future meetings will start at 10:00 a.m. instead of 9:00 a.m.
Karen Parsons, Principal Planner and Freight Coordinator
