Facility Overview

The Taft Occidental Chemical Dock Parking Lot is a specialized industrial staging and vehicle parking facility located at 17245 River Road (LA-18) in Killona/Taft, Louisiana, within St. Charles Parish. Situated on the West Bank of the Mississippi River, this open-air ground-level surface lot directly supports maritime, logistics, and plant operations associated with the Occidental Chemical Corporation (OxyChem) Taft facility and its dedicated river dock terminal. Because it is an open-sky surface area without overhead canopies or multi-story deck restrictions, the lot features unlimited vertical clearance, making it fully capable of accommodating heavy-duty pickup trucks, crew-cab utility vehicles, work vans, and industrial fleet traffic alongside standard passenger cars and SUVs.

Prime Location & Nearby Attractions

Positioned along Louisiana\'s prolific River Road industrial corridor, this lot serves as an operational hub rather than a traditional tourist parking venue. However, it connects directly to several vital regional facilities and landmarks:

• OxyChem Taft Plant & River Terminal: Located adjacent to the Mississippi River batture and dock structures, facilitating rapid access for dockworkers, barge loaders, and industrial personnel.
• Waterford 3 Nuclear Generating Station: Situated roughly 3 miles upriver in Killona, serving as a landmark energy site in the parish.
• Dow Chemical St. Charles Operations: Located just downriver in Hahnville/Taft, anchoring the heavy chemical manufacturing presence in the district.
• Mississippi River Trail & Levee: The paved levee crown path traverses parallel to River Road, offering panoramic views of river traffic and deepwater ship anchorages.
• Historic River Road Sites: Historic River Parish destinations such as Homeplace Plantation and San Francisco Plantation are located within a short drive along the West and East banks.
• Hahnville & Luling Commercial Hubs: Approximately 10 minutes to the east, providing dining, convenience stores, and fueling services for workers commuting into Taft.

Access, Navigation & Transit Connectivity

The lot is directly accessed via River Road (Louisiana Highway 18), which runs alongside the Mississippi River levee. Drivers arriving from New Orleans, Metairie, or Kenner generally take Interstate 10 west to Interstate 310 south, crossing the Hale Boggs Memorial Bridge before exiting onto LA-18 West toward Taft. Motorists traveling from Baton Rouge or Donaldsonville utilize LA-18 East or cross downriver via the Sunshine Bridge or Veterans Memorial Bridge (LA-3213). Public transit bus routes are not active in this heavy industrial corridor; consequently, access relies entirely on personal vehicles, corporate transport vans, and industrial shuttle services.

Facility Amenities & Key Features

• Open-Air Surface Parking: Ample flat asphalt and stabilized crushed aggregate parking spaces suitable for passenger cars and industrial work trucks.
• Unrestricted Overhead Clearance: No height clearance bars, accommodating raised utility trucks, vans with roof racks, and maintenance equipment.
• Security & Lighting: Overhead high-mast security lighting designed to illuminate shift changes during late-night and pre-dawn hours.
• Plant & Dock Proximity: Walking access to river dock gangways, marine transfer facilities, and adjacent contractor check-in checkpoints.
• Turnaround Space: Wide driving lanes allowing ample room for truck maneuvering and continuous two-way vehicle movement.

Ideal For

• Marine & Dock Personnel: Barge captains, deckhands, stevedores, and dock loaders reporting to Mississippi River chemical transfer berths.
• OxyChem Employees & Contractors: Turnaround teams, maintenance specialists, engineers, and plant operators assigned to dockside units.
• Commercial Vendors & Inspectors: Maritime safety inspectors, cargo surveyors, and equipment delivery drivers servicing dock infrastructure.

Visitor & Driver Tips

Because this lot is situated adjacent to a functioning chemical manufacturing and marine terminal, visitors and contractors should be prepared to adhere to stringent industrial safety guidelines. Keep your company identification or visitor badge readily visible, obey all posted plant speed limits (typically 10 to 15 mph), and ensure you do not block emergency access gates, fire hydrants, or dock haul lanes. Due to periodic heavy fog along the Mississippi River in early mornings and during seasonal river crests, exercise caution while navigating LA-18, especially when approaching shift-change traffic peaks around 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM.