VP Biden tours Port of New Orleans Mississippi River Intermodal Terminal

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
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Port of New Orleans

Vice President Joe Biden toured the Port of New Orleans' new Mississippi River Intermodal Terminal before making remarks commemorating the seventh anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in Louisiana.

 

“I’m here today to talk about smart investments we made in shaping the future of the economy in Louisiana and around the country,” Vice President Biden told a crowd of more than 150 invited guests at the port. “Right here at the Port of New Orleans, a $16.7-million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Grant has had an enormous impact.”

The port received the TIGER grant in 2011 to build the 12-acre Mississippi River Intermodal Terminal, which is scheduled to begin operation in March. The terminal has four rail tracks and two 60-long-ton rubber-tire gantry cranes. The terminal has an annual capacity of 160,000 20-foot-equivalent units and a marshaling yard with 389 slots for stacking loaded containers five-high.

Vice President Biden toured the new terminal with, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Louisiana Secretary of Transportation Shawn Wilson, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, and Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation Victor Mendez.

“It is an honor to host Vice President Biden and this group of dignitaries,” Port President and Chief Executive Officer Gary LaGrange said. “The importance of investing in maritime infrastructure cannot be understated as we strive as a Nation to compete in the global marketplace.”

The Port of New Orleans is the only U.S. seaport served by six Class 1 railroads and the new intermodal terminal will allow shippers to more efficiently utilize rail to service customers throughout the nation.

“The port’s rail access includes 132,000 miles of connecting rail tracks,” LaGrange said. “The new terminal will facilitate the movement of marine and rail cargo, stimulate international commerce and enhance safety all while reducing the carbon footprint of regional and national transportation systems within our market – which constitutes 62 percent of the consumers of the United States.”

Vice President Biden said many people do not understand the importance of the Nation’s ports and stressed the role the Port of New Orleans plays in the U.S. economy.

“You have been the economic heart of America for more than two centuries, connecting the agriculture and industrial power of Middle America to the rest of the country and the world,” he said.

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