Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced Tuesday his state will provide $40 million to anchor a public private partnership constructing a new inland port in Cairo, Illinois at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.
The state will immediately grant $4 million to the Alexander Cairo Port District to fund final engineering, permitting and site preparation at the new port. Alexander Cairo Port has been in development for years and represents one of the largest southern Illinois investments in decades.
Its construction would create 500 jobs and more than $100 million dollars in economic activity, according to a Northern Illinois University economic impact study.
The port will position Cairo as a national hub for the US shipping and logistics industry.
According to a release from the Alexander Cairo Port District, 80% of the nation’s inland barge traffic travels past Cairo. Major logistics and commodities businesses have already committed to using the new port to move crops, container shipments, and bulk products once it is completed.
