Baker Awarded New Orleans Rail Gateway Contract by Louisiana DOTD
NEW ORLEANS --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Michael Baker Jr., Inc., a unit of Michael Baker Corporation (NYSE Amex:BKR), announced today that it has been awarded a three-year, $4.8 million rail/roadway engineering and environmental services contract by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) for the New Orleans Rail Gateway (NORG), the fourth largest rail gateway in the nation.
“This project helps to position Louisiana for future growth by providing increased efficiency in moving goods across our state and nation, and also improves safety for our citizens in this corridor by limiting rail interaction with densely populated areas”
Specifically, Baker and its team members will provide travel forecasting, rail and roadway engineering, and a complete range of NEPA/environmental and public outreach services required to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Record of Decision (ROD) to modernize the entire 35-mile freight rail system through the New Orleans metropolitan area.
“This project helps to position Louisiana for future growth by providing increased efficiency in moving goods across our state and nation, and also improves safety for our citizens in this corridor by limiting rail interaction with densely populated areas,” said DOTD Secretary Sherri H. LeBas. “Further, it is a unique collaborative endeavor which highlights our private partners’ commitment to the state and its infrastructure.”
Baker’s Chris Gesing, P.E., senior project manager, said, “We’re delighted to be selected for this contract. We have a first-class team to address the project’s unique engineering and environmental challenges, and to proactively engage the diverse stakeholders. Baker has been providing NEPA/environmental services to DOTD continuously since 1997, and we look forward to working closely with DOTD, the New Orleans Regional Planning Commission, the railroads and the regional decision-makers in the continued post-Katrina rebuilding of New Orleans.”
The project is a public-private partnership (P3) between the Federal Railroad Administration, DOTD, the New Orleans Regional Planning Commission, six Class I railroads (NS, KCS, CSX, UP, BNSF, and CN) and the Association of American Railroads. Amtrak, the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad, and the Port of New Orleans are also stakeholders in the project. A comprehensive public involvement plan will facilitate information exchange between the public and P3 participants.
Michael Baker Corporation (www.mbakercorp.com) provides engineering, design, planning and construction services for its clients’ most complex challenges worldwide. The firm's primary business areas are architecture, aviation, defense, environmental, geospatial, homeland security, municipal & civil, pipelines & utilities, rail & transit, transportation and water. With more than 2,800 employees in nearly 90 offices across the United States, Baker is focused on creating value by delivering innovative and sustainable solutions for infrastructure and the environment.