| Ascension Parish |
Ascension Parish is in south-central Louisiana, approximately 60 air miles west of New Orleans. The shape of the parish roughly resembles an inverted triangle, and its southernmost tip is about 25 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. Lines of longitude 91š West and latitude 30š North bisect the parish, intersecting near Plattenville, 5 miles northeast of the parish"s geographic center. Ascension is bordered on the north by Iberville and Ascension Parishes, on the east by St. James and Lafourche Parishes, on the south by Terrebonne and St. Mary Parishes, and on the West by St. Martin and Iberia Parishes. Ascension is the only one of the State"s 64 subdivisions which borders eight other parishes.
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Interstate
Highways |
From Ascension Parish, a manufacturer can realistically expect third-day truckload service to major markets in 31 states and the District of Columbia. Within this 31-state area are 69 percent of the nation"s population and 70 percent of its manufacturing plants.
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| U. S. Highway 61 |
This road is on the Federal Aid Primary program (FAP, 50ft ROW with 24 ft. paved surface) and runs parallel to I-10 within the parish and Turns north after becoming a major thououghfare in Baton Rouge. Between Baton Rouge and New Orleans Highway 61 is known as Airline Highway and has been used as a primary route and alternate to I-10 for decades.
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| State Highway 1 |
This road is on the Federal Aid Primary program (FAS, 50ft. ROW with 24 ft. paved surface) along its entire length which roughly parallels the Mississippi River within the parish. To the north of Ascension Parish Highway 1 extends diagonally through the state and is a major commercial connection to the northern part of the state. To the south Highway 1 runs parallel to Bayou Lafourche toward industrial areas to the south between Thibodaux and Houma. This highway is well used and well maintained for commercial traffic between Shreveport and Grand Isle.
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| State Highway 70 |
This highway runs from Interstate 10 within the parish to U.S. 90 at Morgan City. It carries most of the commuter traffic to these areas as well as a majority of heavy commercial traffic that crosses the Sunshine Bridge just outside the parish. This road is on the Federal Aid Primary (FAP) program from Highway 1 to Interstate 10 and the Federal Aid Secondary (FAS) program south to Morgan City.
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| State Highway 22 |
This road is on the Federal Aid Secondary program (FAS, 50ft. ROW with 24 ft. paved surface). Cuts diagonally through the east bank portion of the parish from the river, under I-10 and U. S. Highway 61 in Ascension Parish. It is the parish"s main commercial connection to Livingston Parish to the north.
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Segment
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| Railroads |
Ascension Parish is served by the Illinois Central Railroad and the Louisiana & Arkansas Railroad on the east bank of the Mississippi River. The L&A tracks run parallel to U.S. 61 and the Illinois Central tracks are between the river and I-10 where most of the industry is located. On the west bank the Missouri Pacific Traverses the river and serves the industrial corridor between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Rail rates in Louisiana for many commodities tend to be lower than those in the other states because of the competition from barge carriers. All lines handle a significant volume of containers, TOFC and carload traffic between New Orleans and other parts of America. One day rail service is provided to Baton Rouge and New Orleans, two days to Shreveport, and three days to Houston or Dallas, Texas.
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Port
Facilities |
Louisiana"s lower Mississippi corridor is the leading port area in the world with a total annual tonnage of over 345 million tons. The port area stretches 230 miles inland on both banks of the river with more than 110,000 acres of large, affordable deepwater sites having barge and ship access. There are several campus-type industrial parks suitable for warehouse/distribution operations, offices, sales/service facilities and light manufacturing/assembly.
The Port of South Louisiana, the Port of New Orleans and the Port of Greater Baton Rouge are three of the port authorities along this corridor which operate Foreign Trade Zones. Imported materials may be processed or repackaged in these zones without paying United States Customs duties or certain taxes.
The Port of Greater Baton Rouge is also only 23 miles away from Ascension Parish. The Port of New Orleans, which has jurisdiction over river traffic in the parishes of Jefferson, Orleans, and St. Bernard, is one of the largest in the world according to the Army Corps of Engineers. It is served by 14 barge lines and about 100 steamship lines. More than 4,000 ships call annually. In 1987, they carried 44.9 million tons of cargo, worth $10.7 billion.
Cargo can be delivered by barge from Louisiana to all of mid-America via the 19,000 mile Mississippi River System. Louisiana also sits at the center of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway system that rims the northern Gulf of Mexico. Further, the state itself has 4,500 miles of navigable waterways served by 25 harbor and terminal districts, many of which can issue low-interest industrial revenue bonds to finance manufacturing and storage facilities. Also through the state there is a port construction and priority program that may assist in funding port facilities.
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| Deep Water Ports |
The Port of South Louisiana, is located on the Mississippi River nearby. Imported materials may be processed or repackaged in this port without paying United States Customs duties or certain taxes.
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| Airports |
The aviation facility serving Ascension Parish is 25 miles to the northeast in Baton Rouge and is served by 5 commercial carriers with 31 flights daily. General aviation facilities are also available at the Baton Rouge Metro Airport and one commuter airline for shorter destinations. Those current commercial carriers are Delta, American, Continental, Northwest and Emerald.
The St. James-Ascension Airport Authority, at present, is developing a 150 acre site for general aviation. This facility will be located one mile south of Interstate 10 and one mile west of LA 44. The facility will cost 8 to $10,000,000 and is scheduled in three phases. This project is being funded through the Airport Authority and the Federal Aviation Administration and should be operational in the early 1990's. At present, approximately 75% of the land required has been purchased. Sixty-eight Louisiana cities have hard-surfaced public airports, most with night landing capability. Another 250 private airports can accommodate light aircraft.
New Orleans International Airport (Moisant Field) serves southeast Louisiana with more than 20 national and international carriers providing direct passenger and cargo transportation to destinations in the U.S., Europe, Central and South America, and Asia. New Orleans International Airport is 60 miles from Ascension Parish and is accessible via Interstate Highway 10. Baton Rouge Airport is 20 miles from Gonzales and accessible via Interstate Highway 10.
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Other
Transportation
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Nationwide passenger and parcel service are provided by Greyhound Bus Lines in Gonzales and Hotard Coaches provides inter city bus service in Donaldsonville. Emery/Purolator, United Parcel Service and Federal Express are available.
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Freight
Carriers |
More than 50 freight carriers service the area including: Arkansas Freight, CSW, SAIA Motor Freight Line, Roadway Express, Red Ball, Consolidated, Jones Truck Lines and Yellow Freight Lines. Motor Freight Carrier Terminals are located in Baton Rouge and Port Allen, 25 miles to the north and in Houma 50 miles south.
| Approximate Distance and Transit |
| City | Miles | Days |
| Atlanta | 511 | 2 |
| Birmingham | 349 | 1 |
| Chicago | 920 | 2 |
| Cincinnati | 811 | 2 |
| Dallas | 495 | 1 |
| Denver | 1,279 | 3 |
| Houston | 340 | 1 |
| Kansas City | 810 | 2 |
| Louisville | 700 | 2 |
| Memphis | 393 | 2 |
| Minneapolis | 1,229 | 3 |
| Mobile | 190 | 1 |
| Nashville | 482 | 2 |
| St. Louis | 577 | 2 |
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