Meeting Set for PONO Channel Deepening Study

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, has scheduled a virtual public meeting regarding the Port of New Orleans Access Channel Deepening Feasibility Study (PONO) at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 20, 2020.

A Tentatively Selected Plan (TSP) has been identified to deepen the access channel and reduce shipping and transportation cost to the port.

The harbor access channel depth currently authorized is less than the authorized depth of the Mississippi River Ship Channel deep draft channel.

This results in harbor access depth issues that affect vessel loading and potentially necessitates the need for alternate cargo offloading methods. This issue also prohibits deeper draft vessels from accessing the Port of New Orleans.

The report, supporting documents, and public meeting login information is available on the project site.