Jurors Visit The Port

A visit to the Port of Caddo-Bossier Wednesday gave Bossier Parish Police Jury members and staff an up-close look at one of the area’s premier industrial sites that continues to grow and make major contributions the area’s economy.

Located on the Red River off LA Hwy. 1 south of Shreveport, the port encompasses more than 3,500 acres of prime industrial real estate. Large tracts of Greenfield sites are immediately available for industrial development.

It’s recognized as one of the fastest growing inland ports in the nation, and is currently home to 19 companies and 1,800 employees. For every one job created at the Port, 4.1 indirect jobs are created in the community.

Because of its ideal location, it is one of the most accessible inland ports in the country. It is a multi-modal transportation and distribution center that links customers throughout the region to domestic and international markets.

Also, the Port is a Foreign Trade Zone, Enterprise Zone and U.S. Customs Port of Entry.

Jury visitors also learned from Port officials other facts including:

• The Port provides access and supporting facilities to navigable river systems including the Red River, Mississippi River, Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and the Gulf of Mexico.
• The Port is committed to assisting and retaining existing companies, both inside and outside the Port complex. Three examples outside the Port complex are Northwest Pipe in Bossier City, and Tire Rack and Coca-Cola in Shreveport.
• Red River’s navigable channel, established and maintained by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, is 200 feet wide and 9 feet deep and supports a 6-barge tow. The Port’s facilities access directly to the channel.
• 2000 was the last year the Port utilized property tax revenues for day-to-day operations. Since then, 100% of the property tax has been spent on capital projects and debt reduction.

Port facilities are accessible by LA Hwy. 1, a 4-lane divided highway. This highway provides a timely connection to other nearby state roads, Inner Loop 3132 and Interstates I-49 and I-20.

Plans call for Louisiana to be one of only a few areas in the nation to have three intersecting interstates. With some initial planning money committed, I-69 is progressing on identifying corridors, including a potential crossing of the Red River at the Port of Shreveport-Bossier.