SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg) has received important updates on community and governmental leaders’ ongoing efforts to develop the Cairo Port District in Southern Illinois.
“Planning for the Alexander-Cairo Port District has been ongoing for nearly a decade,” Senator Fowler said. “Local, state and federal officials have been working to secure funding and advance the next stages of the project, which are expected to generate economic development, as well as possibly establish the Port District as a National hub for river commerce.”
According to documents received by Senator Fowler, the Alexander-Cairo Port District received a strategic planning grant from the Delta Regional Authority toward the end of 2023, which was awarded to Bacon Farmer Workman (BFW) Engineering to determine a relevant path forward for the port development to occur on the Mississippi River. At the same time, HDR Engineering was under contract to perform Phase I of a Preliminary Environmental Site Assessment.
Main task items associated with the strategic planning grant include:
- Search of historical information related to the current condition of the Cairo Levee System, and meetings with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Memphis Levee Safety Officials to determine the status of recertification of the levee. USACE indicated that the goal is to have to levee certified by February 2026.
- Meeting with the USACE St. Louis District in July 2024 to discuss the port development, specifically related to any navigational impacts that could result due to the development of waterside infrastructure. It was recommended that the Alexander-Cairo Port District perform a navigational study, and Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) was hired. The navigational study was built on the original port concepts, and the simulations were performed on January 29, 2025. Results of the SCI navigational study are pending.
- Hiring Polaris Analytics Consulting to perform a Commodity Flows, Competitiveness and Opportunities Analysis to determine potential commodities that the port development could pursue as customers to the port. This analysis has been completed and is currently in the draft phase and being reviewed by BFW and the Alexander-Cairo Port District.
Senator Fowler noted that the findings so far indicate a favorable recommendation to developing a port, with consideration given to diversified commodity types, stakeholder recruitment of customers, environmental considerations, design work, and phased implementation of port development based on customer need.