Air Products plans to use the Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales as a staging area for construction workers on its planned Louisiana Clean Energy Complex, a move the company says will significantly reduce traffic impacts during the project’s construction phase.
The industrial gas company expects the project to support about 2,000 construction jobs at peak construction and is currently evaluating construction bids, Christina Stephens, senior communications specialist for Air Products, tells Ascension Business Report.
Under the traffic mitigation plan, construction workers would park at Lamar Dixon and be shuttled to the project site near Burnside rather than driving directly to the facility themselves. The arrangement is intended to keep thousands of additional vehicles off local roads during construction.
“Instead of 3,000 cars going back and forth, we’re going to have about 45 buses,” Jeff Reid, project manager for Air Products, said in a statement.
Announced in 2021, the Louisiana Clean Energy Complex will produce low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia using natural gas while capturing and permanently storing underground millions of tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. The project’s initial price tag was $4.5 billion, though more recent company disclosures suggest the actual cost could ultimately be much higher. The complex is expected to create about 170 permanent jobs.
Lamar Dixon is about 4 miles from the construction site. Air Products plans to install supporting infrastructure at the expo center, including security, walkways and shaded bus stops.
“We’re trying to make it as convenient for them as possible,” Reid said. “Easy for us, convenient for them.”
The parking area at Lamar Dixon was developed by Air Products contractor Parish Aggregates as part of the project’s broader construction planning efforts. When the lot is not being used by construction workers, it can be used by visitors to the expo center.
Air Products has not announced a final construction schedule for its Louisiana Clean Energy Complex. Stephens says the company will provide additional details regarding workforce opportunities and construction logistics as planning moves forward.
