Cairo, IL, River Port Proposal Sees Progress

A proposed river port development in the southern Illinois town of Cairo is drawing much attention and interest from companies that believe it could open up greater access to international markets, reported Capitol News Illinois.

The Alexander-Cairo Port District project has been on the drawing board for about 10 years, but it was given a major boost in 2019 when the Illinois General Assembly passed a $45 billion capital improvements plan called Rebuild Illinois, which included a $40 million investment in the port project.

If the project is given final approval–officials have said it will require more than 20 state and federal permits–that money is expected to draw an estimated $300 million in private investment, creating hundreds of construction jobs and many more permanent jobs with cargo shipping companies and other supporting industries, the report says.

The port is envisioned as a public-private partnership between the Alexander-Cairo Port Authority–a governing board that includes officials from Alexander County, the city of Cairo and the Cairo Public Utility Company, which owns the land where the port would be located–and a private port operator.

It would involve building a large landing facility on the Mississippi River upstream from the confluence with the Ohio River. It would also include a large system of cranes that would lift cargo containers off of barges or other vessels that come upstream from New Orleans and load them onto rail cars and semi-trucks.

If the project remains on schedule, groundbreaking could take place as early as the end of 2022.

Source: Capitol News Illinois