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Landrieu says $1.5 million secured for Vidalia port
A U.S. Senate and House conference committee late Tuesday agreed to an omnibus appropriations bill that includes $1.461 million for the City of Vidalia's port project.
The funding was secured by Sen. Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Landreiu said today that the House and Senate are expected to approve the measure during the next several days. The bill would then head to President Obama to be signed into law.
Landrieu said the funding secured in the omnibus appropriations bill will be used to construct an access road to connect the port loading and unloading facility to Louisiana Highway 131. This portion of the project will require the construction of an all-weather road from the highway over the levee to the loading pad, where a crane will be available to move goods between trucks and barges.
She said the unloading facility will greatly contribute to the economic vitality of the region and to industrial activity from Adams County to LaSalle Parish. The overall project will create approximately 200 jobs and will retain approximately 300 jobs by expanding transportation options and reducing transportation costs, said Landrieu.
"Increasing access to the Mississippi River at Vidalia is essential to economy of central Louisiana," said Landrieu. "This funding will be an essential down payment on a very significant port project in Vidalia. The project is critical to advance Mayor (Hyram) Copeland's hard work over many years to bring jobs and economic development to Vidalia and the region."
"Due to Senator Landrieu and her staff's hard work on the Vidalia Port project this $1.461 million dollars will enable us to begin the initial phase of construction in the near future," said Vidalia Mayor Hyram Copeland. "The development of a port along the Mississippi River will be a tremendous asset to the economy of Concordia Parish and the Miss Lou region."
Sen. Landrieu engaged the Corps of Engineers directly to ensure that the City of Vidalia received the proper permits necessary for the project. Additionally, she worked to extend a multi-million dollar grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, which will fund the other phases of the project.
This specific project is part of a larger plan to construct a loading and unloading facility adjacent to the Mississippi River, which will require dredging slack water slip, filling levee borrow pits, constructing the loading pad, access road and the loading ramp.
"We feel that the trips we have made to Washington, D.C., have paid off," said Heather Malone, Executive Director of Concordia Economic & Industrial Development. "This funding has opened many doors for the port project and we whole-heartedly thank Senator Landrieu and her staff for their continued support. We can finally begin the initial phase of this project and will be able to continue construction with the $1.2 million designated from EDA. We've experienced a win today not only for Concordia Parish, but for the entire region." |
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