Lower St. Bernard Parish, LA Roadway Network & Resilience Study

A1: This study considers how St. Bernard is growing and changing, and is checking to see if the transportation system—like roads, sidewalks, and bridges—works well for people today and will keep working in the future. The study also looks at ways to reduce or mitigate the potential impacts of the Port of New Orleans Louisiana International Terminal (LIT) Project.

Community impacts considered include how proposed project transportation solutions could impact: (1) new and current housing areas, (2) emergency vehicle access for police or firefighters, (3) evacuation routes, (4) connectivity between Orleans and St. Tammany Parishes, (5) long-term growth, (6) access to local business, and (7) industry access to warehousing and supply chains.

A2: It’s about more than the Port of New Orleans Louisiana International Terminal (LIT) Project. While the study will focus on reducing negative effects from the Port’s potential terminal, it will also help plan for the future growth and needs of the Parish to make the community stronger and more efficient.

This study might lead to more money from the federal, state, and local governments to make the transportation network better, so emergency services can respond faster, the community can bounce back from challenges, and people can get to their jobs more directly.

A3: 80% of this study is paid for with federal dollars allocated to the Regional Planning Commission for transportation planning purposes and 20% is paid from funding allocated to the Port by the State legislature. The Port of New Orleans’ role is to provide relevant information to the RPC related to freight movements of the proposed downriver terminal in Violet, La.

A4: Major construction is years away. Right now, we’re counting how many cars, trucks, train cars, pedestrians and bicycles usually operate in the area. From this we will estimate how this traffic may grow, and how many more businesses or people it may attract. That information will support development of different project solutions or alternatives to respond to traffic. After careful consideration and community engagement, some ideas will be kept and others will be set aside. Further analysis will be completed by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LA DOTD) after the Study is complete to make a final decision on whether or not a project solution will be constructed. If selected for construction, LADOTD will create a cost estimate for engineering design. Funds for a project must be dedicated before construction begins. We’ll have a better idea of when construction could potentially start after these steps.

A5: The Study will take about 10 months. It started in October 2023 and should be finished around July 2024.

A6: We want to hear from you and make sure everyone has a chance to share their thoughts on future growth and development in the Parish. You can participate now by taking the community surveys (linked above). There will also be two community workshops tentatively planned for April and June 2024. Sign up for our mailing list to stay informed of the exact date and location of these meetings and other events, which will be released in the coming months.