Project: Tchoupitoulas Corridor

1.0 Synopsis

To address the impact of increased truck traffic on local streets resulting from increased bulk cargo activity at the Port of New Orleans, a new port access road was built. The new access road, named the Clarence Henry Truckway is a two-lane, 3.5 mile road that provides dedicated access to the Port of New Orleans for truck transporting cargo. A single point of entry and egress to the road is located at the intersection of Tchoupitoulas and Felicity Streets. The project also included widening Tchoupitoulas Street, the road formerly used to access to the port, from a two lane to a three lane roadway, improving access to U.S. 90, and accompanying sewer, drainage, and flood wall improvements to provide security and protection for the port. The total cost of the truckway and related improvements was $74.87 (2004$'s). Concurrent to the development of the truckway, container traffic at the nearby industrial canal port facility along France St. began to expand rapidly. Limits on the depth of the canal and a small turn-around area required the relocation of container operations from the industrial canal to the port facilities along the Mississippi River, and the construction of the new Napoleon Avenue container terminal ($101M in 2004$'s). The dedicated truckway also provided benefit to the new container traffic to and from the port. Despite the new facilities and anticipated growth in container shipments, container volumes increased only slightly between 1993 and 2007, supporting the addition of just 7 new jobs at the port. The removal of truck traffic along Tchoupitoulas Street has made the corridor more attractive for retail development, and is responsible for an estimated 20 new retail jobs. In total, the relocation of the container operations, the construction of the truckway, and upgrades to Tchoupitoulas Street have resulted in the creation of 27 new jobs.

2.0 Background

2.1 Location & Transportation Connections

The Port of New Orleans is located between and runs parallel to Tchoupitoulas streettruckway (to the north) and the Mississippi River (to the south) with Nashville Avenue and Felicity Street creating western and eastern boarders, respectively. At Felicity Street, Tchoupitoulas Street becomes a one-way street serving traffic traveling north bound. Southbound traffic is routed onto Religious Street, a one-way street parallel to Tchoupitoulas Street. Further east are interchanges providing access to the Pontchartrain Express (Highway 90). The port is served by six class one railroads. Railroad operations are facilitated by the New Orleans Public Belt, a publicly-owned and operated terminal switching railroad located at the port.

Fifty ocean carriers, 16 barge lines, and 75 truck lines serve the Port of New Orleans. Seventy three percent of cargo handled is imports and it is the top U. S. port of entry for steel, natural rubber, plywood and coffee. The port handled 38 million tons of cargo in 2000 including 12.2 million tons in general cargo which includes over 224,000 containers (equaling over 346,000 TEU's) and 26.8 million in bulk cargo.

2.2 Community Character & Project Context

New Orleans has been a center for international trade since 1718 when it was founded by the French. Today, the Port of New Orleans is ranked 6th in the U.S. by total cargo volume (73 million tons). Its proximity to the American Midwest via a 14,500-mile inland waterway system makes New Orleans the port of choice for the movement of cargo to and from the region.

The population in New Orleans declined by 46% to 270,245 residents from 496,938 from 1990-2007. From 1996 to 2007 Orleans Parish declined by 42% to 288,113 residents and Louisiana grew by 1.32% during the same time period to 4.3 million residents. Employment in New Orleans declined to 88,418 jobs (-25%) between 1992 and 2007. Between 1993 and 2007, employment in Orleans Parish declined by 31% to 224,626 jobs, while employment in the state grew by 20%. Much of the decline in both New Orleans and Orleans Parish can be attributed to outmigration occurring in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

3.0 Project Description & Motives

With the rise in truck traffic serving the port, traffic on Tchoupitoulas Street, a two-lane roadway in poor condition and the main route to the port, became an issue. Port traffic began to seek alternative routes, spreading out to local streets through nearby neighborhoods. Citizens expressed concern over safety, damage to historic buildings, and environmental pollution caused by large volumes of commercial traffic. In 1983, the city mandated certain restrictions including the removal of trucks from historic neighborhoods; re-constructing the local roadway, and constructing a new dedicated truckway for port traffic. Enforcing truck restrictions proved difficult, and funding for road improvements did not begin until 1989.

The Tchoupitoulas Corridor project was conceived to address the dual goals of improving access to the port and removing heavy-vehicle traffic from the surrounding neighborhood streets. The project consisted of a dedicated truck port access road, a rebuilt and improved city street (including a new three-lane boulevard for a section of this street), repair and/or replacement of existing sewer and drainage systems, modifications to existing flood walls, and the relocation and consolidation of railroad trackage. In addition to removing truck traffic from local roads, proponents also hoped the project would stimulate residential and commercial development in the surrounding area and lead to redevelopment of vacant and underutilized land and facilities at the port. Construction of the project commenced in 1993 and was not completed until 2003.

Funding for the project came from the Transportation Infrastructure Model for Economic Development (TIMED) program that was created by the Louisiana Legislature in 1989. The program was funded by a four-cent-per-gallon tax on gasoline and special fuels for 15 years (Jan 1990-December 2004). Tchoupitoulas corridor project is one of 16 projects funded by the program. The cost of the new truckway, roadway improvements, and related infrastructure improvements totaled $74.87M (in 2004's), with 4% coming from the port and 96% coming from public sources. Operations and maintenance of the dedicated truckway were estimated to cost approximately $400,000 in 1996, and were expected to grow by 3% per year.

Construction of the Napolean Avenue container terminal began in 2000 and was opened for operations in January 2004 at a cost of $101 million ($2004). The terminal occupies 61 acres, includes two 1,000 foot berths with 45 foot drafts, and has a capacity of 366,000 TEU's. Four dockside gantry cranes and six rubber tire gantry cranes are used for container movements.

4.0 Project Impacts

4.1 Transportation Impacts

4.2 Demographic, Economic & Land Use Impacts

According to a 2005 Economic Impact Study of the Port of New Orleans, .7 jobs are created for every 1,000 tons of cargo handled at the port. Between 1993 and 2007, the cargo volume at the port increased by 9,322 tons, requiring an estimated 7 additional employees at the port. In addition to new jobs created at the port, some new retail development, including a new Walmart, has occurred on Tchoupitoulas Street as a result of the removal of truck traffic from the street. A conservative estimate of 20 new retail jobs can be attributed to the roadway project. In total, 27 new jobs can be attributed to the development of the truckway and Napolean container terminal.

5.0 Non-Transportation Factors

In 2005, the flooding precipitated by hurricane Katrina negatively impacted the city of New Orleans. Although the port's floodwall remained intact and the port in general was not damaged, the impact on the transportation systems and local economy had a negative impact on cargo volumes at the port and development along Tchoupitoulas Street. As the area recovers from the negative impacts of Katrina, the positive impacts of the truckway and port improvements will likely increase.

6.0 Resources

6.1 Citations

1. Parson Brinkerhoff Quade and Douglas, “Strategic Advisory report: Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal Development Utilizing public-private partnerships”, June 2009.
2. Port of New Orleans, “Port of New Orleans Cargo Activity Report”, Dec. 2009.
3. Urban Systems, “Port of New Orleans April/May 2004 Turn Around Study”, 2004.
4. http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_rpt_497.pdf
5. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/freightplanning/lop2.html
6. http://www.dot.state.fl.us/research-center/Completed_Proj/Summary_PL/FDOT_BC353_16_rpt.pdf (page 56)
7. http://house.louisiana.gov/slg/PDF/Chapter%202%20Part%20E%20-%20Transportation%20and%20Infrastructure.pdf

6.2 Interviews

Organization

Evans Delivery Company

Louisiana Department of Transportation

New Orleans Public Belt Rail Road

New Orleans Regional Planning Commission

Parsons Brinkerhoff Quade and Douglas, Inc.

Port Authority of New Orleans

Footnotes

Case study developed by Economic Development Research Group