The Port Commission is soon to embark on phase two of wetland mitigation for the South Port Project in Warren County.

The new port will be located south of Interstate 20 and between the Mississippi River and U.S. Highway 61 South. The project has been in the works since 2018, but took off in 2020 when Neel-Schaffer engineering firm was hired to assist in site selection. Land was acquired for the new port in December of 2023.

Phase one of the wetland mitigation, which is now complete, consisted of the construction of the levee and the port basin as well as the relocation of Hennessey Bayou.

Phase two is designed to offset the negative environmental consequences of construction of the new port.

“Basically, we will be constructing new wetlands to replace the wetlands that will be impacted by our project,” said Pablo Diaz, President and CEO of the Vicksburg-Warren Economic Development Partnership. The Warren County Port Commission, The Vicksburg Warren County Chamber of Commerce, and the Economic Development Foundation are the three entities that make up the Partnership.

The budget for phase two is $13,783,261. Diaz said the port commission is currently working to secure grants to pay for the vast majority of that expense.

“We have been maxed out at the existing port for over a decade. And anytime that a large company wanted to come to the region and locate on the river, they couldn’t find anywhere that they could do that,” Diaz said. “So we’re going to fix that for decades to come because we’re going to have over a thousand acres permitted for industrial and river-related development right on the river.”

President of the Warren County Board of Supervisors Kelle Barfield said this was a major step toward completing the South Port Project.

“Completing the many steps required to achieve the wetlands mitigation required for the South Port Project is a major milestone in moving forward with development of this area as one of Mississippi’s top megasites,” Barfield said. “Led by Pablo’s efforts at the Port Commission, the county and city have worked closely to help clear all hurdles possible in order to achieve a significant outcome for our local economy and the residents who live here.”