The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, is hosting a final public meeting to provide an update on the draft integrated General Reevaluation Report and Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement titled “Mississippi River Ship Channel, Gulf to Baton Rouge, Louisiana”.
The purpose of the study is to evaluate economic viability as well as alternative plans (including the no-action plan) of deepening the Mississippi River Ship Channel (MRSC) from the current 45 ft. depth to a depth of 50 ft.
The USACE, in partnership with the non-Federal sponsor (NFS), the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LaDOTD), propose construction to deepen the existing Mississippi River Ship Channel (MRSC), Gulf to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, project (sometimes referenced as the Baton Rouge, Louisiana to the Gulf of Mexico project).
Currently, the project provides deep draft navigation along the lower portion of the Mississippi River from the Gulf of Mexico to the city of Baton Rouge, LA. Specifically, the MRSC allows for deep draft access to the Louisiana ports of Plaquemines, New Orleans, South Louisiana and Baton Rouge.
The current depth of the MRSC results in the need for vessels such as bulk carriers and tankers to light load to navigate the channel and reach the ports. This results in increased transportation cost. High shoaling rates also result in an increase in sediment deposition, which creates maintenance inefficiencies and increases dredge cycles.
Public meeting details