New study finds Port Fourchon ‘vital’ to US economy
F. Jay Schempf
As part of its ongoing construction projects at the airport, the Port Commission has completed a runway strengthening to support access by aircraft of up to 75,000 lbs ground weight. The runway also has been extended from 3,800 to 6,500 ft (1,158 to 1,981 m), and a new lighting system has been installed. Widening of the safety area and site preparation for a parallel taxiway currently is under construction and is expected to be complete in a few months time.
According to Jason Duet, airport manager, airport hours have been extended to 12 hours beginning at 5:30 a.m. daily.
Lock to allow 24/7 Bayou Lafourche traffic
The future for uninterrupted vessel traffic on Bayou Lafourche to and from Golden Meadow will be assured by new construction just getting under way, says Ted Falgout, executive director of the Port Commission.
Due to significant subsidence along the Louisiana Gulf Coast, the incidence of floodgate closings on Bayou Lafourche at Golden Meadow has increased significantly during the last few years, he says. As a result, a lock system is now under construction at the floodgate site. The goal of the lock system is to allow vessels 24/7 access to all points along the bayou, regardless of high tides or other water level rises.
“The flood gates were designed to stop storm surges from coming up the bayou from the Gulf and entering the protected levee system at Golden Meadow,” says Falgout. However, he adds, with a general sea level rise and regional land subsidence due to storm forces, the floodgates must be closed far earlier and more often than in the years before Katrina/Rita hurricane damage altered great sections of the Louisiana coastline. Once closed, the existing floodgates bar vessel passage in either direction until reopened.
“During extreme conditions, navigation along the bayou normally would be shut down,” Falgout remarks. “That’s not an issue. But what is an issue is sometimes getting materials to and from the port once a storm passes or an unusually high tide occurs, mainly because the water outside the flood gates tends to remain unusually high before running off into the Gulf.”
On-site construction of the lock will halt traffic during most of the daylight hours, he says, but traffic will be allowed to resume at night. The construction will be ongoing for the next 6-12 months during which these traffic interruptions can be expected, he says.
Message from the director
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Ted M. Falgout,
executive director,
Port Fourchon
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Port Fourchon is as busy as ever, and essential projects that will help provide continued access to the resources of the Gulf of Mexico are coming to fruition. There is nothing like $100 bbl oil to keep this region hitting on all the cylinders! 2007 proved to be another banner year, and we entered 2008 with plenty of irons on the fire.
Louisiana has serious challenges ahead of it with respect to coastal issues such as land loss and infrastructure upgrade needs. The recent commitment by the federal government to start sharing mineral royalties generated from offshore waters with the drilling coastal states was a huge achievement. This future source of funding will go a long way towards helping to ensure the stability of our fragile energy coast.
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Page 3 of 4
Volume 68 Issue 3
March 2008
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