Governor Quinn Announces Investment in Quincy's Mid-America Port

QUINCY - Governor Pat Quinn today announced an investment to help develop the Mid-America Port along the Mississippi River in Quincy. The investment will help complete the planning phase for the estimated $80 million intermodal port project that will supply the world market with Illinois products. Today's announcement is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to create jobs and drive Illinois' economy forward.

"The Mississippi River forms our entire western border and is one of the nation's key routes to transport Illinois goods around the world," Governor Quinn said. "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. 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 investment of $1.3 million will come from Governor Quinn's Illinois Jobs Now! capital construction program and pay for the planning and design phase of the Mid-America Port, which will be developed as a public-private partnership. This will include all design work; obtaining the necessary local, state and federal permits; property documentation; and wetland disturbance mitigation.

The Mid-America Port is planned to be fully intermodal and is in an ideal logistics location. It is within ten miles of east-west Interstate 72, within ten miles of the Chicago-Kansas City Expressway and is served by two Class 1 railroads, Norfolk Southern and BNSF. The port site is the farthest north point on the Mississippi River considered navigable 12 months of the year by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The site is also near the Quincy, Illinois and Hannibal, Missouri regional airports.

"This investment translates to economic growth and jobs for Quincy and the entire tri-state region," Quincy Mayor Kyle Moore said. "The future development of the Mid-America Port will help our current businesses grow as well as help us attract new businesses to our communities."

Docking facilities in the region are currently located above Lock & Dam 21. This creates significant congestion during peak seasons because the facilities are in high demand and because the port facilities are located where barges must be moored when traversing the lock. Establishing the Mid-America Port at Quincy, below Lock & Dam 21, will provide larger and more efficient full-service docking facilities, without the congestion that occurs upstream.

"The Mississippi River is one of our nation's most important waterways, transporting millions of tons of product each year," U.S. Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) said. "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. 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."

"This strategic investment will set the stage for major economic growth, produce good paying jobs and position Quincy and the Tri-state region as the transportation hub for the entire Midwest," State Senator John Sullivan (D-Rushville) said. "The Mississippi River has been the vital transportation link for agriculture and manufacturing products in the Midwest, and this investment recognizes the expanded role it will play going forward."

"The Mid-America Port will be an economic boon to the Quincy region and Illinois as a whole," State Representative Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) said. "As I have been working on and promoting this project for some time now, I am glad to see its planning phase move forward."

More than $12 million in infrastructure investment has been made to support the Mid-America Port development including a state-funded $4.2 million highway intersection upgrade, $3.5 million rail spur and $1.8 million in road upgrades.

The Mid-America Port project is designed so it can be completed in phases as funds become available. A functional port with the capability to handle all types of cargo and to provide long-term benefits to this rural area will cost an estimated $38 million. This includes land acquisition, construction of the port access road, a single level barge dock, mooring cells, slips for barges, barge loading and unloading equipment, liquid storage tanks, a railroad spur, utility extensions, a dry bulk warehouse and security. Additional phases will increase the size and types of cargo that can be accommodated and will assist in developing a foreign trade zone at Quincy.

The Mid-America Port Commission is a 26 county, 3 state district established by a compact between the states of Illinois, Iowa and Missouri in 1999. It is also within the 35 county USDA Great Region and Tri-State Development Summit.

The Mid-America Port project is part of Governor Quinn's $31 billion Illinois Jobs Now! program, which will support more than 439,000 jobs over six years. Illinois Jobs Now! is the largest capital construction program in Illinois history, and is one of the largest capital construction programs in the nation.