Arcosa-Madisonville To Deliver Barges Before Year-End
A shuttered barge manufacturing yard in Madisonville, La., will soon reopen, with barge deliveries expected later this year, according to an April 10 announcement from Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, Arcosa Marine President Thomas Faherty and representatives from St. Tammany Parish.
Arcosa Marine, part of Arcosa Inc.’s Transportation Products Group, will make a $7.5 million capital investment in the former Trinity Industries yard, which closed in 2015. Trinity separated into two public companies in 2018, with Trinity Industries Inc. focused on railcar products and services and Arcosa Inc. on infrastructure products.
According to the announcement from the Louisiana Governor’s Office, the reopened facility is expected to create 149 new direct jobs, which will offer an average annual salary of $51,400 plus benefits. Arcosa will retain another 26 existing jobs, for a total direct job count of 175. The barge manufacturing facility is located on Louisiana Highway 21 along the Tchefuncte River. Louisiana Economic Development (LED), which began discussions with Arcosa regarding the site late last year, also estimates the project will create 236 indirect jobs.
“We are excited to welcome back the manufacturing operations of a marine mainstay in the St. Tammany Parish economy,” Edwards said. “Manufacturing jobs generate great economic activity and a high number of supporting jobs throughout the area. We’re encouraged by the return of barge manufacturing in Madisonville and hope that this new investment by Arcosa will lead to greater growth in the future.”
Arcosa plans to build multiple types of barges at the Madisonville facility once it’s up and running. The company will also take advantage of the state’s LED FastStart workforce training program, along with the state’s Quality Jobs and Industrial Tax Exemption programs.
“Due to encouraging conditions in the barge construction market, we are pleased that Arcosa Marine is restoring the Madisonville barge facility to full operation,” Faherty said. “Arcosa Marine is preparing the facility to produce barges for customer delivery in 2019. We are grateful for the support of LED and St. Tammany Corporation, and as a result, Arcosa Marine expects to continue to hire employees at the facility.”
Arcosa Inc. boasts an annual revenue of $1.5 billion, with more than 5,500 employees and more than 40 locations. Arcosa and Trinity are headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
The Arcosa barge manufacturing yard in Madisonville has a long and storied history. Neville Levy founded the yard in 1921 under the name Equitable Equipment Company, according to the website ShipbuildingHistory.com. In 1966, the company acquired the former Higgins Industries shipyard on the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal in New Orleans. Trinity Industries acquired Equitable in 1972 and operated the yard until 2015, when it closed.
