If most of the industrial projects planned for Ascension and St. James parishes break ground in the next year or two, the resulting surge in contractors and plant workers traveling down area highways could become unmanageable, reports 10/12 Industry Report in its spring issue.
At last count, there were some 22 planned projects in the two parishes – 11 above $1 billion in cost – representing the highest concentration of industrial investment in the state.
“All these jobs we’re adding are great, but they’re projecting some 1,400 new permanent jobs over the next five years,” says Kate MacArthur, president/CEO of the Ascension Economic Development Corp. “That means 1,400 more cars.” The number is exponentially higher when accounting for construction traffic. “The big question at the moment is where can we park people so that there aren’t 2,000 to 4,000 additional cars driving into the same area every day?”
Strains on the power grid are another concern, and workforce demand is expected to cause significant strain. Find out what’s being done to prepare.
