LA 23 New Orleans and Gulf Coast Railway Relocation PE/NEPA Project
In coordination with the New Orleans Regional Planning Commission, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) conducted an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the relocation of the New Orleans and Gulf Coast (NOGC) Railway that serves Jefferson and Plaquemines Parishes in the New Orleans region of Southeast Louisiana.
The NOGC currently interchanges with the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) in Westwego, Louisiana. The UPRR and NOGC alignment is located through a series of residential, commercial, and industrial areas. There are approximately 280 public and private highway‐rail at‐grade crossings along its entire length within both the Westwego and Belle Chasse Subdivisions. Approximately 120 of the existing at‑grade crossings are located in the study area. The purpose of the railway relocation is to improve safety and mobility by reducing the number of at-grade rail crossings in densely populated areas of Jefferson Parish and Plaquemines Parish.
This project is funded for Preliminary Engineering/National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis. Construction funding for this project has yet to be identified.
Project Deliverables
FRA prepared the Final EA, Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), and Section 4(f) Evaluation in accordance with NEPA 42 U.S.C. 4332 (2)(c), Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act, and FRA’s Procedures for Considering Environmental Impacts (64 Federal Register 28545, May 26, 1999). The final documents can be accessed below.
Permitting Dashboard
The U.S. Permitting Dashboard is an online tool for Federal agencies, project sponsors, and interested members of the public to track the Federal government’s environmental review and authorization processes for large or complex infrastructure projects. The Dashboard is part of a government-wide effort to improve coordination, transparency, and accountability. A link to this project’s page on the Dashboard is below.
Last updated: Friday, September 4, 2020