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Terminal Layout

The Port of New Orleans aims to design a project that meets community needs as well as operational needs. We welcome public input as we continue to develop the terminal layout.

Terminal Layout

The Port of New Orleans has purchased over 1,200 acres of land in Violet. We expect to use approximately 400 acres for the future container terminal, related infrastructure, and buffer areas.

The proposed terminal layout is still under development. This most recent draft reflects valuable community input. An earlier version rerouted E St. Bernard Highway around the property. The engineering team worked hard to design a proposed new layout that keeps the highway along the river.

The terminal layout will continue to be a work in progress throughout the environmental review process. Environmental study results, community input, and the terminal operator's needs will guide ongoing improvements.

Light bulbProvide Comments to Port NOLA

You can provide feedback directly to the Port of New Orleans. We will consider your input as we continue to develop the terminal layout. We’ll also share your comments with the Army Corps of Engineers for review and consideration.

Some considerations for the terminal design include:

Investments in shore power, which can reduce air pollution from ships at berth by up to 98%

Manage all terminal drainage

Create more space between the terminal and neighborhoods

Relocate W. Smith Jr. Elementary School and Violet Park within Violet

Continue working with partners on a third connector roadway

Minimize traffic and rail impacts

Mitigate environmental impacts

Keeping the Merrick Cemetery in place with room for expansion

Planned Container Throughput

A container terminal serves as a transportation hub for containerized cargo that is being imported and exported. At opening, we anticipate the terminal will accept between 180,000 - 280,000 containers in the first year. The number of containers traveling through the terminal will grow over time as the terminal is built. We estimate it may take 25 years to reach the terminal's maximum annual capacity, which is 1.2 million containers (2 million TEU) per year.

You may have heard the term "TEU" before, which means "twenty-foot equivalent unit." This refers to 20-foot-long containers that were standard at the start of container shipping. Today, 40-foot shipping containers are most common. One 40-foot container equals roughly two "TEU." That means the number of physical containers accepted at the terminal will be less than the number of TEUs accepted.