An agreement between the Alexander Cairo Port District and an Illinois union is guaranteeing 500 Illinois-based construction jobs for building an inland port at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.
A release Tuesday from the port district states about 80 percent of the country’s inland barge traffic passes by Cairo, with the project expected to have impacts on nationwide shipping and logistics.
Illinois State Sen. Dale Fowler, a Republican from Harrisburg, in a statement said the labor agreement with the Illinois AFL-CIO will guarantee construction jobs from the project will stay in the state.
“I am confident that Alexander-Cairo port will be game-changing for our state, spurring additional economic development and growth. With such a big undertaking, we could not move forward with this project without the incredible local labor workforce of Southern Illinois spearheading its development,” Fowler said.
Illinois Governor Democrat J.B. Pritzker last year said the state would provide $40 million in state funding for the project as a part of the Rebuild Illinois capital plan.
