SR 149

2026 Regular Session  ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 149
BY SENATOR BARTHELEMY
  A RESOLUTION
To direct the Department of Transportation and Development to review and study any
        potential hazards of the increasing railroad activity on the Norfolk Southern Railway
        originating at the Alabo Street Wharf.
        WHEREAS, Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the
Eastern United States, with key infrastructure that includes approximately a six mile rail
bridge on the Lake Pontchartrain Bridge; and
        WHEREAS, the Alabo Street Wharf in New Orleans was originally a slaughterhouse
that was purchased by the Port of New Orleans to transport river and train cargo, including
lumber, copper, and sugar; and
        WHEREAS, this rail corridor has been largely dormant for decades; and
        WHEREAS, the Port of New Orleans has entered into a fifteen-year lease agreement
with Sunrise Foods International to convert the Alabo Street Wharf in the Lower Ninth
Ward, Holy Cross, and other St. Bernard Parish neighborhoods into a specialized terminal
for importing organic grain, transported by Norfolk Southern trains; and
        WHEREAS, in 2026, there were multiple incidents involving Norfolk Southern trains
colliding with vehicles and eighteen-wheeler trucks; and
        WHEREAS, some tracks run within fifteen feet of the resident's front doors; and
        WHEREAS, grain dust is an S-1 high-hazard classified material and can become
combustible under certain conditions and poses a potential environmental and safety hazard;
and
        WHEREAS, R.S. 48:390 authorizes the secretary of the Department of
Transportation and Development to complete a study of all public railroad grade crossings
to establish priorities for improvement, relocation, or closure in compliance with federal
guidelines and requires the development of a prioritized plan for implementing railroad
grade crossing improvements, relocations or closures; and
        WHEREAS, there is a potential environmental and public safety issue arising out of
expansion of rail activity in this area.
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SR NO. 149  ENROLLED
       THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby direct the Department of Transportation and Development to review and study
any potential hazards with increasing activity on the Norfolk Southern Railway originating
at the Alabo Street Wharf, pursuant to R.S. 48:390 et seq.
       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation and
Development shall submit a written report that includes potential ways to prevent any
foreseeable harm to the community with detailed findings to the Senate Committee on
Transportation, Highways and Public Works prior to January 1, 2027.
       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
secretary of the Department of Transportation and Development.
  PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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