20 American Journal of Transportation American Journal of Transportation ajot.com move 3 million tons of freight annually. Collectively, the ports of the Bi-State St. Louis region move about 31 million tons each year. “All of the ports in the region continue to invest in enhancing their facilities, and several of the proj- ects that are planned, underway, or recently com- pleted. Infrastructure project selection focuses on freight reliability and efficiency that benefits all modes of transportation,” said Mary Lamie, the St. Louis Regional Freightway’s Executive Vice Presi- dent – Multimodal Enterprises, an economic devel- opment enterprise of Bi-State Development. “Modal flexibility and connectivity provide shippers a com- petitive advantage. Engagement and advocacy for projects start years before funding opportunities are announced. Public and private sector leaders are investing in the St. Louis region – Ingram, TRRA (Merchants/MacArthur Bridge/IL/3rd Main Rail- road Track, Madison Yard), IDOT and MoDOT’s continuing investment in the I-270 Chain of Rocks Bridge, etc.” The Freightway recently released its 2027 Pri- ority Projects List - a collection of 29 projects total- ing more than $9.2 billion of infrastructure upgrades across the Bi-State St. Louis region. As of May 2026, more than $581 million in projects on the list had been completed. Nearly $3.8 billion in total funding has been secured, and construction is currently underway on projects totaling $1.6 billion. With 41% of total proj- ect costs funded, additional projects are expected to advance to construction soon. Lamie said the largest single project on the 2027 list – and one of the highest priorities is the new terminal at St. Louis Lambert International Airport, now estimated to exceed $3 billion. Close to $1 bil- lion has been secured to advance several supporting projects. She said the ongoing work on I-270 in both Missouri and Illinois and the Rte. 3 access improve- ments in Illinois are also high priorities. “Given the interconnectedness of the region’s freight network, these improvements also benefit users of the region’s port system,” Lamie said. Lamie said speakers at FreightWeekSTL, Freightway’s regional industry conference in May, emphasized that inland waterways such as those in the St. Louis region support supply chain reliability and underscored the need for sustained infrastruc- ture investment to maximize returns and maintain system performance. She said (St. Louis has a) strategic location as a hub where multiple freight modes intersect, making reliable waterways infrastructure essential to the efficiency of the broader national freight network. Speakers highlighted the interconnected nature of the network, noting that goods frequently move between truck, rail and barge as part of a seamless logistics system, she said. “It makes sense then that the strength of inland waterways directly impacts the efficiency of the broader supply chain and the competitiveness of industries that depend on it,” Lamie said. A handful of speakers also pointed out the chal- lenges within the inland waterways system, includ- ing capacity limitations and aging infrastructure; reliability depends on continued investment in key assets such as locks and dams along the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. Lamie said Tracy Zea of the Waterways Council Inc. highlighted how navigation constraints, seasonal conditions and system inef- ficiencies can reduce throughput and create ripple effects across supply chains that extend far beyond the river system itself. Zea singled out Lock and Dam 25 on the Mis- sissippi River, just a little upriver from St. Louis in Winfield, Missouri, as an infrastructure investment that would most improve reliability for shippers in the next few years. Lamie said other STL speakers, such as Ken Eriksen, Managing Member and Strategic Advisor at Polaris Analytics and Consulting, said growing domestic investment in manufacturing and infra- structure is contributing to a resurgence for the U.S. maritime and inland waterways system. He encouraged industry stakeholders to closely monitor indicators such as barge fleet capacity, transporta- tion volumes across modes, and shifting consumer demand as they plan for the next 12 to 24 months. take a more coordinated approach to addressing challenges while identifying new opportunities for growth,” Abbott said. “The Com- mission is working to develop a comprehensive understanding of Ohio’s river assets, including ports, terminals, manufacturers, indus- trial sites, workforce resources, transportation infrastructure, and developable properties – allow- ing us to better support workforce development and tourism, identify investment opportunities, prioritize infrastructure improvements, and inform policy decisions.” Abbott said some key opportu- nities include expanding advanced manufacturing, energy, agriculture, and warehousing, as well as the redevelopment of underutilized riverfront industrial sites — all while strengthening freight connections throughout the region. He acknowledged the need to modernize infra- structure which requires sustained investment in major rehabilitation, long-term replacement of locks and dams, gate and machinery replacement, electrical and control system upgrades, preventive maintenance, and backup capacity. “Addressing these challenges will require sus- tained investment, strategic planning, and collabo- ration among multiple states, federal agencies, and private industry. Modernizing these facilities is not simply a maritime issue,” Abbott said. “It’s a matter of national economic competitiveness, infrastruc- ture resilience, and supply chain security.” In terms of supply chain resiliency, Ohio’s inland waterways provide an additional transportation option when other avenues experience congestion or disruption. Barges can move tremendous vol- umes of freight efficiently while reducing pressure on highways, he said. Abbott cited movements of oversized equip- ment for the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor and the Shell Petrochemicals Complex in Pennsylvania as demonstrating the river’s unmatched ability to trans- port heavy project cargo that would be extremely difficult or disruptive to move entirely by highway. “Long-term success will require dependable cargo volumes in both directions, appropriate con- tainer-handling facilities, reliable lock operations, competitive pricing, and close coordination among railroads, trucking companies, ocean carriers, and Gulf Coast ports,” he said. Paducah-McCracken County Riverport Authority By any measure, Paducah, KY should be con- sidered one of the most notable river cities in the United States. The Ohio River joins the Tennes- see River right off S. 3rd Street downtown, and the Cumberland River enters the Ohio just upstream. Forty miles downstream, the Ohio empties into the Mississippi River. It’s a unique geographic position that the Paducah-McCracken County Riverport Authority uses to its advantage. Twenty-three barge compa- nies have operating or corporate headquarters in the region. And there are five major inland shipyards that service a large chunk of the nation’s inland river towboats and barge fleets. But it’s a succession of unprecedented ener- gy-related project announcements in 2026 that has the Riverport Authority positioned for big things in the next few years. In late July, the US Department of Energy (DOE) announced a partnership with Brookfield, NextEra Energy, Big Rivers Electric Power Corpo- ration, Jackson Purchase Energy Cooperative, and Paducah Power System to redevelop portions of DOE’s former Gaseous Diffusion Plant (GDP) into a $100 billion data center campus. Last year, the DOE said it had signed a lease with General Matter to reuse a 100-acre GDP parcel for a new private-sector domestic uranium enrich- ment facility. In March, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear reported Global Laser Enrichment will develop the $1.8 billion Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility (PLEF) to re-enrich depleted uranium. Jimmie Garrett, the Riverport’s executive direc- tor, said to support these projects and other industrial development, the Riverport Authority is building the Riverport West facility eight nautical miles down- stream from its current Riverport East facility. The Riverport West project will be funded in part by a $24 million BUILD grant secured earlier this year. “Riverport East is at capacity; we really don’t have any more land to expand on,” Garrett said. “The decision was made to expand out into the west side of the county and call it Riverport West.” The massive energy projects on tap could bring extraordinary growth he said, but bulk materials - sand, limestone aggregate, fertil- izer, petroleum coke - still are criti- cal freight for the Riverport. “We are excited about the DOE announcements, but those materials and cargo form the cornerstone of our daily operations,” Garrett said. Ports of Indiana - Mt. Vernon & Jeffersonville, IN The Ports of Indiana operates two ports on the Ohio River: one in Mt. Vernon, IN and the other in Jeffersonville, IN, on the north side of the river from Louisville, KY. Indiana’s river ports have announced a series of substantial investments in the past year. Jody Peacock, chief executive officer of the Ports of Indiana, said Indiana’s facilities are garnering grant money because of the return on investment. “There’s a powerful maritime highway that moves millions of tons of freight, but it’s largely out of sight out of mind and if you look at the percentage of trade that moves by water it’s a very small per- cent,” said Peacock. “The fact that you can put 300 tons on a river floated across the country if you will or from the Gulf to Pittsburgh, stop at any port along the way on the inland river system is a powerhouse way to do it.” “If you’re trying to move a large tank or a generator or something a wind turbine across the country, you’re going to have to have overweight truck permits and escorts to go across multiple states, but when you can move heavy cargoes right into the heartland of the country by water that really shows the efficiency...” A quick tally of current investments in Indiana’s Ohio River ports - $32 million expansion at Jeffer- sonville to add a 300-ton crane, $16 million railyard development in Mt. Vernon as well as a $47 million upgrade there by Consolidated Grain and Barge Co. to increase grain and soybean handling capacity. The backbone is infrastructure, Peacock said. “Maintaining our inland waterways and infra- structure is critical to the future success and even maintenance of our existing shipping system. The challenge we have is that roughly 80% of the locks and dams in the United States have exceeded their 50-year design life, and that’s a major problem. We have 100-year-old locks, and it’s hard to base an entire shipping industry on that type of structure,” he said. “We would love to see the focus, the rein- vestment, the commitment to upgrading, modern- izing maritime structure to match the other modes because it provides tremendous value, but often times it doesn’t get attention in funding until there’s a major collapse or a lock has been shut down. Let’s deal with this as preemptive maintenance and not wait for disaster.” Central Ohio River Business Association (CORBA) CORBA is a trade association representing local businesses that rely on the Ohio River in the tri-state region. Headquartered in Cincinnati, CORBA mem- bership consists of a cross-section of maritime busi- nesses from barge fleeting companies to local port authorities to terminal operators. Executive Director Eric Thomas said geography is the Central Ohio River region’s not-so-secret weapon. Jimmie Garrett, executive director, Paducah-McCracken County Riverport Authority, Kentucky Jody Peacock, CEO, Ports of Indiana (SUPERHIGHWAY – continued on page 30) (SUPERHIGHWAY – continued from page 19) (DRIVE – continued on page 23) (DRIVE – continued from page 19)
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