America’s Central Port District in Granite City has been awarded nearly $21 million in state funding for three projects
Granite City port getting $21M
January 26, 2022 | The Telegraph (full link below)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker, right, announced millions of dollars in state grants for America's Central Port in Granite City, Madison County Transit and Macoupin County on Wednesday morning. With him, at left, is Illinois Department of Transportation Director Omer Osman.
EAST ST. LOUIS — America's Central Port District in Granite City has been awarded nearly $21 million in state funding for three projects.
On Wednesday morning, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced an additional $108.3 million for public ports in Illinois.
America's Central Port will receive $13 million from the state for sediment reduction in Madison Harbor, as well as $5.5 million for the harbor's truck staging and calling center facilities.
Additionally, the site will receive $2,375,000 for the Hill Storage Track and other harbor track improvements. Another $125,000 in local funding is also being provide for the project.
At Wednesday's event, Pritzker also announced $111.4 million has been awarded to transit providers, such as Madison County Transit (MCT) and Macoupin County.
Pritzker said the funding follows through on the vision of Rebuild Illinois approved three years ago.
“Our vision wasn’t limited to simply updating highways, rails and bridges," he said. "We saw an opportunity to connect jobs and economic development to communities across the state through every mode of transportation.
“Today we’re launching funding to support Illinois ports as well as over three dozen transit systems outside Chicago," he said.
MCT will receive $3.25 million for a Collinsville Park and Ride facility, as well as $3.1 million for Phase 3 of base improvements in Pontoon Beach. Macoupin County will receive $575,821 for a dispatch building in Carlinville.
In East St. Louis, the St. Clair County Mass Transit District’s Emerson Park Operational Control Center will receive $9.9 million for a new building to house county sheriff’s deputies, a transit control center, 911 dispatching and a pilot program to help riders with mental health issues and homelessness.
“These awards to our ports and transit systems will only strengthen our status as the multimodal transportation hub of North America,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman.
"As far as I'm concerned, there is no such a thing as a highway system, a transit system, a waterway system, and aviation system and so on," he said. "We are all part of an interconnected system of transportation that is only as good as its individual parts."
Osman said the state is making infrastructure investments that will keep Illinois "the country's transportation hub" for future generations.
America's Central Port was created in 1959 by the state to develop multi-modal transportation, create business expansion opportunities and facilitate and assist in job creation for the Southwest Illinois region. The 1,200-acre site is the third largest inland port in the country.
The port has an annual economic impact of $282 million for the area, adding $2.5 million annually in property tax relief. It offers rail, river and road access. America’s Central Port owns and operates 1.9 million square feet of warehouse space, with more than 70 tenants leasing from the district.
"I applaud the steps Illinois continues to take to invest in safe and reliable transportation. It's essential to put us back on track and help out our local economy recover from the ongoing pandemic," said state Sen. Christopher Belt, D-Swansea.
https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/article/Granite-City-port-getting-21M-16806127.php