WASHINGTON— U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), and John Kennedy (R-LA), and U.S. Representative Steve Scalise (R-LA) today announced St. Bernard Port, Harbor and Terminal District in Chalmette is receiving a U.S. Transportation Department TIGER grant of $13 million towards the reconstruction of the Chalmette Slip, which was constructed in 1907 and is the only deep-draft calm water slip on the Lower Mississippi.
“This is great news for New Orleans and Louisiana workers,” said Dr. Cassidy. “This grant will go a long way toward sorely needed improvements.”
“This is great news not just for St. Bernard Parish but for the entire region,” said Sen. Kennedy. “With its location on the Lower Mississippi River, the Chalmette Slip is a gateway to the rest of the nation. The Chalmette Slip also is 111 years old, and its age is showing. One of the wharves is condemned; another is obsolete and unsafe. We need these improvements to create jobs and opportunities.”
“This is great news for St. Bernard Parish, the region and maritime traffic on the River,” said Rep. Scalise. “I applaud the Trump administration for understanding how important and necessary these improvements are to improve maritime commerce on the Lower Mississippi, benefiting not just South Louisiana but the entire country.”
“TIGER grants are direct federal investments in projects that will improve our surface transportation at the national, regional or local level,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.
In September, Cassidy supported the port’s grant request in a letter to Secretary Chao.
###