PEORIA, Ill. — 

“The Mississippi River forms our entire western border and is one of the nation’s key routes to transport Illinois goods around the world. Quincy is perfectly situated to take full advantage of this water highway, and the Mid-America Port will link water, road, rail and air transportation like never before,” said Gov. Pat Quinn.

He traveled to Quincy Oct. 27 to announce the state will provide up to $1.3 million to help develop a planned $80 million intermodal port project. “When completed, the intermodal port will ensure western Illinois is better equipped to give our businesses and farmers even better access to the global market.”

The $1.3 million pledged by the state is to be used for completion of the project’s planning phase. More than $12 million in infrastructure investments have previously been made to support port development, including a state-funded $4.2 million highway intersection upgrade, $3.5 million rail spur and $1.8 million road upgrade.

The Mid-America Port is located within 10 miles of east-west Interstate 72 and 10 miles of the Chicago-Kansas City Expressway. The port is sited at what is considered to be the furthest northerly point on the Mississippi River that remains navigable year-round, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It is also within close proximity of the Quincy and Hannibal, Mo., regional airports.

“The new Mid-America Port in Quincy will ensure that Illinois farmers and businesses are able to continue taking full advantage of this major economic artery,” said U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who attended the Quincy news conference with Quinn and former U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood of Peoria.

“This project is yet one more example of how investing in our infrastructure today will create jobs and spur commercial growth for years to come.”

The $1.3 million offered by the state for the planning phase is part of Quinn’s $31 billion Illinois Jobs Now! campaign, the largest capital construction program in state history. But State Rep. Jill Tracy (R-Quincy) said after Quinn’s news conference she was skeptical the state’s money would ever arrive because of Illinois’ fiscal condition, reported the Quincy Herald-Whig.

“As I have been working on and promoting this project for some time now, I am glad to see its planning phase move forward,” she said.

Downriver at Granite City, America’s Central Port held a groundbreaking ceremony Oct. 20 for the second construction phase of its South Harbor project. As part of this phase, construction of new terminals and a conveyor system for loading barges has commenced by the Corps of Engineers.

The port district’s operators currently move more than 2.5 million tons of fertilizer, steel, agricultural products and petroleum brought in by truck and rail annually, according to Bob Shipley, chair of the board of commissioners for America’s Central Port.

“The completion of this phase, and project as a whole, will enable us to transport more goods and have an even greater impact on the region,” he stated.

Quinn signed legislation in August more than doubling the size of the port district’s boundaries by absorbing portions of the townships of Wood River, Alton and Godfrey in Madison County, and Elsah and Quarry in Jersey County.

More than $300 million in investments have been made in the port over the past decade, leading to an annual impact of some $282 million and support of an estimated 1,500 jobs. Phase Two expansion is expected to generate an additional 10-15 jobs, according to the port district.

“Job creation is a focal point of the port district and Madison County,” said Alan Dunstan, Madison County board chair. “This new investment will mean construction jobs, and retained and new jobs to operate this facility.”

America’s Central Port Executive Director Dennis Wilmsmeyer said the port expansion will allow for an expansion of its economic development presence in the two counties while also increasing opportunities for exports.

“The expanded port will have a strategic location at the heart of the United States’ inland waterway system, which will allow us to serve three major rivers: the Mississippi, the Missouri and the Illinois,” he said.