Port Bienville Railroad Feasibility Study and Environmental Documentation
PROJECT WEBSITE: Port Bienville Railroad Project
All dates below are specific to the schedule of the Environmental Review and Permitting processes for this project.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING STATUS
COMPLETE
COMPLETION DATE OF ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING
02/14/2020
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING PROCESSES
COMPLETED
SECTOR
Surface Transportation
CATEGORY
Project Category
DOT Projects
LEAD AGENCY
Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration
Description:
The Project is composed of approximately 24 miles of new railroad line to connect the Port Bienville Short Line Railroad with the Norfolk Southern mainline in Nichols, Mississippi, to provide the Port with access to dual Class 1 rail service. Dual Class I rail access is proposed to enable Hancock and Pearl River Counties and Stennis Space Center to attract new industries to this region that require this level of rail services, and encourage job creation and investment opportunities to help this area recover from recent hurricane disasters that have significantly affected local economies.
On February 3, 2020, FRA issued the combined Final EIS and Record of Decesion (ROD) for the Port Bienville Railroad Project, and it was published in the Federal Register on February 14, 2020. The combined Final EIS and ROD does not include substantial changes to the proposed action in terms of environmental or safety concerns, nor are there significant new circumstances or information relevant to environmental concerns of the proposed action or its impacts.
In accordance with U.S. Department of Transportation Guidance and pursuant to Section 1211 of Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, the combined Final EIS and ROD includes the identification of the Preferred Alternative and a list of commitments for mitigation measures for the Preferred Alternative (included in Section 2.5 of the ROD).
This project is funded for Preliminary Engineering/NEPA by FRA. Construction funding for this project has yet to be identified.
The project sponsor is the Mississippi Department of Transportation and the point of contact is Adam Johnson (ajohnson@mdot.ms.gov).
Cooperating agencies include the US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, and Surface Transportation Board.
In addition, pertinent information including the project's NEPA documentation and decisions are found at the project's FRA webpage, https://railroads.dot.gov/current-environmental-reviews/port-bienville-railroad-project
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Permitting Timetable
The permitting timetable below displays data as reported by agencies. Dates for Environmental Review and Permitting processes (Actions) that are in 'Paused' or 'Planned' status are subject to change and are not indicative of a project's final schedule.
- For information about extensions, select an Action from the timetable below and select 'View Action Details' at the bottom of the page.
Action Information
For additional information, please select an Action from the Permitting Timetable above.
- Action:
- Responsible Agency:
- Bureau:
- Action Status:
- SHPO:
- Action Identifier:
- Action Outcome:
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