INDUSTRY VILLAGE-PORT ALLEN CUTOFF CANAL AUTHORIZED INDIAN V I L L A G E - P O R T A L L E N CUTOFFCANAL
M O R G A N C'TY TO BATON ROUGE VIA N E W ORLEANS M O R G A N CITY TO BATON ROUGE VIA PORT ALLEN MILAGE SAVED BY USING AUTHORIZED CUT OF-F
233 8 MILES 64.9 MILES 163 9 MILES
Expanding Baton Rouge's Port Indian Village —Port Allen Cutoff will lower cargo rates 3 2 cents per ton, create new Baton Rouge plant sites BATON R O U G E . - W h e n President Eisenhower signed the public works appropriation bill, Port Commission officials here began to see a dream of many years take shape. The $24 million project, with construction scheduled to start during the next two months, will chop off 165 miles between Baton Rouge and Morgan City, saving two days' travel time. Financial assistance provided b y t h e Government includes $80,000 for planning expenses, and $750,000 for construction costs. One major advantage of t h e new locks a n d canal will b e its ability to handle larger tows. A t present the Plaquemine locks are inadequate for all b u t the smallest tows because of the tortuous route between Indian Village and Plaquemine. The new Indian Village—Port Allen cutoff is designed to bypass this 56-year-old waterway. T h e n e w project also calls for enlarging t h e present Morgan City route to Indian Village from its 100-foot width t o 125 feet. I t will also b e deepened three more feet t o 12 feet. As a n additional benefit, the cutoff will create a number of new industrial sites to satisfy the area's expanding needs. Waterfront sites are difficult to find right now in the Baton Rouge area. Construction of n e w docking facilities at Baton Rouge is also scheduled to get under way sometime in October, according t o Port Commission officials. Growing Port. Although the facilities at Baton Rouge will not dock seagoing vessels except a t certain times 3494
of the year ( 9 0 % of its tonnage is b a r g e transportation), the port h a s become an attractive location for chemical companies. Esso Standard Oil, Kaiser Aluminum, and Solvay Process have
private wharves antd docks for transporting r a w materials a n d finished products b y their o^vn fleets. With or without dock facilities, m a n y other chemical companies a r e moving into the area. Last year FosterGrant started u p its $4 million styrene monomer plant and Naugatuck Chemical announced a $ 1 A million expansion for additional production of synthetic rubber products. I t w a s during t h e post war years that Naugatuck Chemical, Ideal Cement, and Chemical Solvents (with KZan-Jax Chemical) established their new operations. Baton Rouge's entry into t h e chemical field since 1 9 4 0 h a s been a prominent one, total construction a n d expansions exceeding $290 million. Raw materials, water transportation, and markets have p l a y e d a n important role; state's 10-year exemption from a d valorem taxes and industry inducement plan have been a drawing card. Emphasizing the city's importance, Baton Rouge is the last deep water port on the Mississippi River, standing astride t h e waterway transportation system of the entire Mississippi Valley. It is closer b y 84 l a n d miles a n d 130 river miles to the heart of America than any other deep w a t e r port, says Port Commission president E. D . Wilson, also chairman of Louisiana's D e partment of Commerce a n d Industry.
H i g h l i g h t s o f P o s t w a r C h e m i c a l E x p a n s i o n i n Baf-on R o u g e Value of Expansion New and Old Products (Million Dollars) ( N o Chronological Order) Company Year 1946 Solvay Process 9.36 caustic soda isopropyl alcohol, isopro30.00 1947 Esso Standard Oil pyl ether, diisobutylene tetraetfayllead Ethyl Corp. 20.00 ethyl alcohol, ethyl ether, 3.00 1948 Esso Standard Oil isooctyl alcohol, isoprcne Ethyl Corp. 10.00 ethyl chloride purchased alumina plant 1949 Kaiser Aluminum 1.20 in 1346 1950 Ethyl Corp. 7.29 ethylene dichloride synthetic rubber, nitrile Naugatuck Chemical ( n e w ) 2.00 type 1951 Consolidated Chemicals 3.50 sulfur Esso Standard Oil 38.04 high molecular weight olefins, aromatic tars Ethyl Corp. 4.04 benzeme hexachloride Ideal Cement ( n e w ) 4.36 cement: Kaiser Aluminum 22.50 aluminium oxide Solvay Process 15.00 see 19-46 listing 1952 Chemical Solvents'" ( new) 1.00 insecticides butadiene, dicyclopentaEsso Standard'Oil 16.00 dieme butyl rubber lindane, hydrogen chloEthyl Corp. 6.97 ride difluoromonochloromethGeneral Chemical O.08 ane, dichlorodifluoromctfciane, trichloromoniofluoromethane Kaiser Aluminum see 1951 listing 2.06 4.00 1953 Foster-Grant ( n e w ) styrene monomer Naugatuck Chemical 1.40 see 1950 listing $291.00 ° Joint with Kan-J ax Chemical.
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