This article originally comes from the Waterways Journal from December 2025, page 48.
Late last year, America’s Central Port (ACP) in Granite City, Ill., north of St. Louis, released its 2050 Master Plan, a compilation of 60 projects the port hopes to undertake in the next 20 years,
with a total estimated cost of $355.6 million. For towboat and barge operators, the port is a critical multimodal facility located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and situated just 25 miles south of where the Illinois River joins the Mississippi. The port is more than a transportation hub. Its 1,200-acre footprint also includes residential and commercial areas.
Of the 60 proposed projects, about 13 are directly linked to the port’s waterfront barge-rail-truck freight capabilities. Two other waterway projects, one in Grafton, Ill., and the other in Granite City, would expand passenger cruising opportunities. A third nonfreight, river-based project would evaluate ferry service facilities.
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