Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina, it’s hard to believe we are still facing this question: How can roads in an American city look like this?

Southern Intermodal Xpress, one of the largest trucking companies on the Gulf Coast with deep roots in both Mobile and New Orleans, operates with 50+ employees out of our New Orleans terminal on Old Gentilly Road. We’ve proudly served this community for over 50 years, but today we find ourselves asking whether it’s even possible to continue doing business here under current conditions. 

Cars are wading through four feet of water. Trucks are being towed out of flooded ditches. Our employees have to be bussed in from a Winn Dixie parking lot on higher ground because personal vehicles can’t access the yard. Roads meant to serve the Port of New Orleans—one of the nation’s most critical gateways for commerce—are impassable, crumbling, and dangerous. 

“How is this possible in the United States of America—where the economy depends on trucks delivering goods—yet we can't even get our equipment down the road without risking damage or injury?” – John Stimpson, Owner, Southern Intermodal Xpress

This isn’t about blame. It’s about partnership. It’s about asking why—why has this been allowed to persist for so long, and more importantly, how can we come together to fix it?

We first began raising concerns in 2016. Since then, the situation on Old Gentilly Road has only deteriorated. Debris piles up unchecked. Ditches are so overgrown they’ve erased the shoulder and turned four lanes into one. The street is cracked and broken—but even that could be managed if it weren’t submerged under feet of standing water every time it rains.

We invite you to see it for yourself. Start at the Palace Truck Stop and drive down to our yard at 9575 Old Gentilly Road. We believe you’ll be shocked—and then motivated to act.

With the expansion of the Port of New Orleans, now is the time to invest in access infrastructure. What’s the point of expansion if trucks can't reach the port? If local businesses can't serve it?

We are requesting a meeting with any and all willing parties—legislators, city officials, mayoral candidates, or media members—who want to see firsthand the conditions threatening economic growth and public safety in New Orleans East.

Please don’t let another year—or another storm—go by without a plan.

Respectfully,

John Stimpson

Owner, Southern Intermodal Xpress

9575 Old Gentilly Rd, New Orleans, LA 70127

john@sixllc.net