Inland Ports Secure Infrastructure Grant Funding
Rep. Sam Graves (Mo.-06), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, announced April 22 that he had secured a $27,324,552 Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) Grant for the Marion-Ralls Regional Port Authority. It is the largest Upper Mississippi River (Marine Highway 35) PIDP grant in history and the largest PIDP grant ever in Missouri. The port is located on the Mississippi River, across from Quincy, Ill., on the Missouri side.
The project was among a number of grant awards recently announced by the Maritime Administration that include awards from 2025 using prior year funding.
The Marion-Ralls grant will help construct a barge receiving dock, receiving conveyors and a 21,000-ton dry fertilizer warehouse with a loading tower and blending system. It also includes site work, as well as an 800-ton-per-hour receiving conveyor system, a truck to support on-site operations and a working barge/floating dock. The project is being done in partnership with GROWMARK, Inc.
“The Mississippi River is a critical resource for our farmers,” Graves said. “The creation of this new port facility will enhance the agricultural supply chain and reduce transportation costs for inputs. I’m so proud of the work being done to utilize the efficiency and economic benefits of the Mississippi River, and I look forward to seeing the region benefit as a result.”
The Marion-Ralls Regional Port Authority (also known as the Hannibal Regional Port Authority) is part of the Corps of Engineers-designated Mid-America Port Commission Port Statistical Area. The MAPC is a multi-state compact (Illinois, Iowa and Missouri) formed to promote regional port development and coordinate with the Corps of Engineers. The port operates in conjunction with the Hannibal Regional Economic Development Council (HREDC), which manages its administration.
The Port Authority, established in 2020, operates in conjunction with the Hannibal Regional Economic Development Council (HREDC) on regional transportation and logistics projects within its jurisdiction of Marion and Ralls counties in Missouri.
Other Grant Awards
U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, announced that the West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) has received $23 million in funding from MarAd to support the construction of an all-weather barge handling dock at the Nucor Steel West Virginia steel plant in Apple Grove, W.Va. The project includes construction of a two-tiered open cell dock and coil handling road, according to the MarAd grant project announcement. It also funds acquisition and installation of an electric overhead crane to help streamline terminal operations.
The International Port of Memphis Cement and SCM Distribution Terminal and CNG Station Project was awarded $19,662,581.50 to redevelop a dormant grain facility into an active cementitious material terminal. The project will include construction of a pneumatic barge unloading system, an approximately 20,000 short-ton storage building and a material-handling system for transferring product to a truck loadout system.
The Donaldsonville (La.) Dock Conveyance System Project was awarded $43,361,425.76. The project includes the engineering, design, procurement and construction of a new dock conveyance system. The system will transport iron ore pellets from port berths to a planned ultra-low carbon steel manufacturing facility.
A grant of $11,221,110 will go to a project to develop a fertilizer storage, blending and bagging facility in Seneca, Ill. The project includes site preparation; construction of a fertilizer warehouse with storage bins, blending systems and tunnels; installation of conveyor and dust collection systems; integration of automated bagging lines; new rail siding compliant with Class I standards; upgraded truck circulation routes and paving; and stormwater and utility improvements.
The New South Dock for Improved Safety, Reliability, and Increased Cargo Storage Project in Kaskaskia, Ill., was awarded $11,249,875. The project includes the installation of an approximately 200-foot-long open cell sheet pile dock with a concrete pad, an access road and rail connections. It also funds dredging adjacent to the new dock.
A full list of projects, including those not related to inland ports, is available online at https://www.maritime.dot.gov/sites/marad.dot.gov/files/2026-04/FY25%20PIDP%20Project%20Award%20Descriptions.pdf.
