Slip C Bulkhead Project Breaks Ground
(GALLIANO, LA) – Ahead of schedule by popular demand, Port Fourchon’s latest expansion project, Slip C, is turning into the Port Commission’s very own “field of dreams.” Carved from an empty expanse of water and dredged materials over the last two years, Slip C is on course to exceed its estimated development expectations, and its first bulkhead installation project will make port history as the single largest project award amount ever approved by the Port Commission, topping $15 million.
Construction work on the Northern Expansion Slip C Bulkhead Project, awarded to Johnson Brothers, will be in progress by the end of this year. Slip C is the latest phase of the port’s Northern Expansion, adding 400 acres of developed property to the port and creating over 15,000 linear feet of waterfront in Port Fourchon. The port’s newest slip is 700 feet wide and 7,000 feet long, with nearly the same dimensions as its neighbor, Slip B.
The design for the Port Commission’s Slip C bulkhead project was engineered by J. Wayne Plaisance, Inc., including a base bid for 1400 linear feet of bulkhead on the west side of Slip C and two alternate bids for 600 feet each on the east side of the slip. With several bidders drawing excellent prices, the Port Commission chose to proceed with all 2600 feet of bulkhead construction for a grand total of $15,665,249.00. Some construction costs will be funded through LA DOTD’s Port Construction Priority Program, with the remainder self-funded by GLPC.
“This is the largest single construction project that the Port Commission has ever undertaken, a true reflection of the exponential growth and optimism occurring in the Port Fourchon business community,” remarked Chett Chiasson, Executive Director of Port Fourchon. “At its inception, Slip C development was projected to take up to eight years, and now we are thinking it will be more like half of that.”
“What’s really amazing is that we don’t have a single sheet pile of bulkhead driven yet in Slip C, not a foot of usable waterfront property,” said Davie Breaux, Director of Operations, “and we’re already close to having the whole thing booked. We only have about 2500 feet of waterfront property in Slip C that is not already spoken for, either with a lease or a right of first refusal. And we’re now getting offers for Slip D.”
The port’s Slip C Bulkhead project is scheduled for completion by late 2014, and the Port Commission has already started the permitting and design process for Slip D, the next phase of the Northern Expansion project. Other Slip C leaseholders also have bulkhead construction projects in the works, meaning that there could potentially be over $50 million in additional privately constructed bulkhead projects in Slip C during the course of the Port Commission’s $15 million project.
Additional projects to develop Slip C property and businesses indicate much more to come for Port Fourchon, with over $335 million in total estimated public and private investment in Slip C infrastructure and up to 1,000 new jobs.
Port Commission Board President Perry Gisclair sees the constant need for expansion as a testament to the port’s positive business climate. “We are investing in our future with projects like building new bulkhead in Slip C,” said Gisclair, “and our port tenants are investing in us by choosing to come to Port Fourchon and build their businesses with us.”
OTHER PROJECTS UNDERWAY IN PORT FOURCHON INCLUDE:
• Adam “Ted” Gisclair Road Asphalt Paving Project- soon to begin construction
• N. J. Theriot Road Upgrades- in design phase
• Fourchon Beach Repair Geotube Project- recently completed
• Fourchon Emergency Operations Center Building- nearing completion