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The Jefferson Seaway was a proposed deep-draft ship channel to be created in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, that would establish a route between the Mississippi River at Westwego to the Gulf of Mexico near Grand Isle. The Mississippi River provided the only deep water access to New Orleans and its neighboring ports. In the mid-20th century, the creation of alternate routes were considered, including the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO), which was ultimately selected, funded and constructed. The Jefferson Seaway, sometimes referred to as the Arrow to the Americas,[1][2] the Mississippi Valley Seaway Canal[3], the Tidewater Ship Canal[2] and the Barataria Seaway, was also under consideration but ultimately was never constructed as a deep-draft channel.

Shallow Draft Projects

Two navigation projects were completed along the proposed Jefferson Seaway route that provided shallow-draft navigation.

The U.S. Federal Government passed the River and Harbors Act of 1919, which authorized the creation of a shallow-draft channel to be dredged from Lake Salvador at Bayou Villars to Barataria Pass at Grand Isle. The channel was authorized to be 5 feet deep by 50 feet wide and would combine existing canals and passages with newly dredged canals through marshland. The newly created Barataria Bay Waterway, which parallels Barataria Island and traverses through Barataria Bay, was 37 miles in length when completed in 1925. A portion of this waterway is referred to as Dupree Cut.[4] This would represent the first instance of straightening and dredging along the route that was proposed for the Jefferson Seaway.

In the 1920's, plans for the Gulf Intracoastal Water Way (GIWW) were underway, which would provide a sheltered coastal route for shallow draft vessels. In the vicinity of New Orleans, existing infrastructure was incorporated into the route. The western entrance into the Mississippi River would be via the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal and lock,[5] completed in 1923. The eastern entrance would be via the Harvey Canal. It's original locks were replaced as part of the GIWW project and construction was completed in 1934.[6] An alternate western entrance to the Mississippi River and route was added via the Algiers Canal and lock, completed in 1956,[6] which merged with the existing GIWW route 6 miles from the Harvey locks.[5]

Oil and gas exploration and production near and below Lafitte, initially by the Texas Company in 1935,[7] prompted the need for greater depths for river barges to access the fields from the GIWW and Gulf of Mexico.[8] Beginning in 1949, Jefferson Parish presented a plan for enlarging the Barataria Bay Waterway channel to 12 feet in depth by 125 feet in width. U.S. Congressman Hale Boggs backed a bill that provided federal funding for the project,[8] which was authorized in the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1958.[4] The deepening and widening of the Barataria Bay Waterway was completed in 1960,[8] representing the second instance of widening and deepening the proposed route of the Jefferson Seaway.

Competing Federal Deep Draft Projects

In 1943, two separate deep draft projects were presented by the Ship Channel Committee of the Jefferson Parish Police Jury and by the Dock Board of New Orleans to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The New Orleans proposed route, referred to as the "Alexander Seaway," was east of the Mississippi River, and named for Col. Lester F. Alexander, a boat builder, member of the Dock Board and the Tidewater Development Association, serving as one of the architects behind the New Orleans plan.[9] Jefferson's proposed route, referred to as the "Arrow to the Americas," was west of the Mississippi River.[2]

The Jefferson Seaway was envisioned as a channel measuring either 500 feet[10] or 600 feet[3] in width, 40 feet in depth and 55 miles in length, compared to the 110 mile distance presented by the Mississippi River as measured from the entrance at the jetties.[10] This route was shorter than the Alexander Seaway project, which measured 76 miles in length.[11] A new four-lane toll highway was associated with the Jefferson Seaway project, which would parallel the full length of the new ship channel between Westwego and Grand Isle.[3][10]

In order to connect to the Mississippi River, the Jefferson Seaway project required the construction of new navigable locks at Westwego. Locks at this location had previously been constructed ca. 1870 by the Texas and Pacific Railroad as part of the Company Canal, which connected Bayou Segnette to the Mississippi River. These locks were condemned and ultimately closed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1956,[12] coinciding with the opening of the newly completed Algiers canal and locks.[6]

Shipping and commerce in the Gulf of Mexico is influenced by the capacity of the nearby Panama Canal, which provides access to the Pacific Ocean. The original Panama Canal Locks, completed in 1914, were 110 feet wide and 1,050 feet long with 41.2 ft of draft above the sill.[13] The locks proposed for the Jefferson Seaway project would have been 80 feet in width by 800 feet in length with 40 feet of draft over the sill.[3] Though smaller, Jefferson's locks would have allow for comparable ship drafts.

The Jefferson Seaway proposal claimed several advantages over the competing project, including a significantly shorter route, direct access to the oil and gas of the Texaco Company Lafitte Field, access to the Freeport Sulphur Grand Ecaille mines, closer proximity to Central and South America, and less expensive land appropriation costs.[1]

Project Selection

In considering the most viable option between the Jefferson Seaway and the Alexander Seaway, the USACE New Orleans District preferred the Jefferson project.[2] Upon its review of the District's findings, the USACE Vicksburg Division returned the report with recommendations to utilize the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal (IHNC) locks to connect the Alexander Seaway project to the Mississippi River.[2] Completed in 1926, the IHNC locks measured 75 feet in width by 640 feet in length with 31 feet of draft over the sill,[14] significantly smaller than both the Panama Canal Locks and the proposed Jefferson Seaway locks.

Without the need for new locks, the Alexander Seaway project presented a the more economical option despite its greater project length and lesser lock capacity.[2] and was subsequently chosen. The Louisiana Legislature in 1944 empowered the Governor to aid the Federal Government in completing the tidewater seaway proposed on the east side of the river.[15] That same year, the USACE assumed operational control of the IHNC locks from the Dock Board of New Orleans.[5]

Congress authorized the Alexander Seaway project, which assumed the name "Mississippi River Gulf Outlet" in the in the River and Harbor Act bill approved on March 29, 1956 (Pub.L. 84–455) at an appropriated cost of $88,000,000 USD. Construction began in 1958 and was completed in 1968, allowing partial use by deep-draft vessels as early as 1963.[15]

Local Continuation and End

Local officials continued to pursue the proposed Jefferson Seaway despite Federal authorization to fund and construct the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet.[3][10]

In 1947, Jefferson Parish acknowledged the selection of the Alexander Seaway while proclaiming that the Jefferson Seaway was the superior option. In its public plea, Jefferson Parish cited significant cost savings and also noted that the proposed Algiers Canal and locks were an inferior option to the Westwego locks and Jefferson Seaway. The construction of the Jefferson Seaway would preclude the construction of the Algiers Canal and locks, further reducing overall costs.[9]

In 1950, the Jefferson Parish Police Jury and the City of Westwego created the joint Jefferson Parish Seaway Commission, comprised of prominent industry leaders.[2] In 1956, the Police Jury considered the sale of bonds that would locally finance the Seaway project.[2] The promotion would continue at least into the early 1960's, with continued support by Congressman Hale Boggs, who considered the Jefferson Seaway project to be a necessity.[2]

Jefferson Parish touted the Jefferson Seaway project as late as 1961, envisioning an increase in demand for shipping spurred by the anticipated success of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet. Moving forward, Jefferson expected that its Seaway would be driven and funded by private industry.[16] Construction of the Jefferson Seaway as a deep draft channel never materialized, though the Barataria Bay Waterway continues its role as a Federally authorized shallow-draft navigation channel.


References

  1. ^ a b Parsons, M.F. (1944). "Arrow to the Americas" (PDF). 1944 Jefferson Parish Yearly Review: 28–34.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Boggs, Congressman Hale (1959). "South to the Sea, The Story of the Jefferson Parish Industrial Seaway" (PDF). 1959 Jefferson Parish Yearly Review: 24–35, 120–127.
  3. ^ a b c d e Grant, Arthur A. (1945). "The West and Best Seaway to the Gulf" (PDF). 1945 Jefferson Parish Yearly Review: 26–33, 153–157.
  4. ^ a b "DREDGED MATERIAL BENEFICIAL USE DISPOSAL HISTORY OF THE BARATARIA BAY WATERWAY" (PDF). http://www.mvn.usace.army.mil. Retrieved June 30, 2017. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help); External link in |website= (help)
  5. ^ a b c Pennebaker, E.S. (1944). "Two Alternate Connections of the Present Intracoastal Waterway with Mississippi River" (PDF). 1944 Jefferson Parish Yearly Review: 130–136.
  6. ^ a b c "The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway Project" (PDF): 1–4. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. ^ Shaw, J.A. (1936). "Lafitte Oil Field" (PDF). 1936 Jefferson Parish Yearbook: 49–57.
  8. ^ a b c Thompson, Ray A. (1960). "Jefferson on the Job" (PDF). 1960 Jefferson Parish Yearly Review: 18–20.
  9. ^ a b Dabney, Thomas Ewing (1947). "Great and Courageous Planning Today Will Build World's Greatest Port Tomorrow" (PDF). 1947 Jefferson Parish Yearly Review: 38–53, 113–116.
  10. ^ a b c d Clancy, Frank J. (1956). "Safer, Shorter and Cheaper via the Jefferson Seaway" (PDF). 1956 Jefferson Parish Yearly Review: 17–22.
  11. ^ "Mississippi River–Gulf Outlet Canal". Wikipedia. 2017-06-13.
  12. ^ "Westwego Canal and Terminal Company records, 1925-1953 | Louisiana Research Collection". specialcollections.tulane.edu. Retrieved 2017-06-30.
  13. ^ "Panama Canal expansion project". Wikipedia. 2017-03-14.
  14. ^ "Industrial Canal Lock". Wikipedia. 2017-04-10.
  15. ^ a b "New Orleans District > Missions > Environmental > MRGO Ecosystem Restoration > History of MRGO". www.mvn.usace.army.mil. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  16. ^ "1961 Jefferson Parish Annual Review" (PDF): 51–55. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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