welcome
The Avoyelles Parish Port at Simmesport is an inland port located on the Atchafalaya River, an 18 ft. draft river in Central Louisiana. The Port’s Master Plan outlines a multi-purpose, four-phase development on 2,200 acres including a 200-acre industrial park, port dock, and recreational area and boat ramp.
The Avoyelles Parish Port Commission formulated a master plan several years ago to build several assets that were the catalyst for growth. The Avoyelles Parish Port is established at the most viable part of the Atchafalaya River in Simmesport also known as the Gateway City of the Atchafalaya River. The Port’s mission is to create quality jobs and to be an economic engine for Avoyelles Parish.
The location of the port, where the Atchafalaya River, Mississippi River and Red River meet provides a convenient stopping point for barge traffic with connections to major ports throughout the country. The Atchafalaya River route to the Gulf of Mexico is 300 miles less than traveling the Mississippi River through Baton Rouge or New Orleans, and more cost effective because river pilots will not have to be engaged to channel the waters. MAP of three rivers meeting Other advantages to using the Avoyelles Parish Port are:
- Average annual draft of 18 feet;
- Barge to truck transportation via Louisiana Hwy. 1 and Interstate-49 or to rail via Kansas City Southern;
- 1 hour drive from three metropolitan areas: Alexandria, Lafayette, and Baton Rouge;
- Location in an Enterprise Zone and Federal Renewal Community;
- 2,200 acres; and
- New Master Plan for development of port facilities and industrial park.
Central Louisiana
As we enter the twenty-first century we still find that lives and the Central Louisiana economy are linked to the waters of the Atchafalaya River. The Avoyelles Parish Port and Recreational Facility is the catalyst to make this happen and truly become the “The Gateway to Central Louisiana”.
Port of Alexandria | Louisiana Department of Economic Development
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