LA HB616

Authorizes the Port of New Orleans Board of Commissioners to develop, construct, operate, and maintain the St. Bernard Transportation Corridor, a roadway with elevated sections connecting the Louisiana International Terminal in St. Bernard Parish to the interstate highway system in Orleans Parish, including potential connections to State Highway 47 (Paris Road) and Interstate 510.

Grants the board authority to pursue public-private partnerships for funding the roadway construction and maintenance, with the board serving as the sole responsible public entity without requiring Louisiana Transportation Authority approval.

Empowers the board to impose and collect toll rates to cover operations, maintenance, debt service, and contractual obligations, with tolls exempt from state or local government regulation; the roadway and all revenues are exempt from state taxation.

Allows the board to acquire property through donation, purchase, exchange, lease, or expropriation without competitive bidding, and grants full servitude rights across state-owned lands and waterways necessary for construction.

Permits the board and Department of Transportation and Development to enter into agreements for joint development, with provisions for the board to transfer the roadway to DOTD at any stage, at which point DOTD would assume jurisdiction and include the corridor in the state highway system.