PEORIA, Ill. – Nearly $50 million in U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) funding is coming in 2025 to bolster two ports along the Illinois River, marking the first-ever federal public-private investment in ports on the vital Mississippi River tributary. The funding, announced by the USDOT Maritime Administration, comes from their Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP).

Included is $38.5 million for the village of Hennepin (Putnam County) and the “Hennepin Barge Terminal and Soybean Logistics Asset,” along with $9 million for the village of Hardin’s (Calhoun County) river terminal elevator project.

“Historically we’ve kind of been left out (for federal funding) or overlooked,” said Corn Belt Ports Executive Coordinating Director Bob Sinkler. Sinkler’s Peoria-based organization, which is an affiliate of the Illinois Waterway Ports Commission, is tasked with lobbying for state and federal support for Illinois Waterway infrastructure and economic development.

“Not only are we in flyover country but we are in a big rural-urban region, so it’s nice to be able to attract this kind of investment. This is the first time we’ve ever received anything like this on the Illinois waterway,” Sinkler added.

Hennepin, a village of less than 600 people located on the east side of the Illinois River in north-central Illinois, is home to Marquis Energy, a renewable fuels plant that will benefit from the public-private partnership through the construction of an adjacent 700-foot dock. The modern barge terminal will include a new pipeline and conveyor system to streamline product transport, an upgrade to lighting and electrical infrastructure and other improvements to accommodate Marquis’ increased volume of soybean meal, oil and hull production.

According to Marquis Energy, the new loading dock will allow the export of 20 barges of soy meal from the complex each week, or approximately 1.5 million tons each year. Their soybean crush facility and terminal will “generate significant employment opportunities during both the construction phase and the long-term operations of the facility. This development marks a crucial step in establishing a more diverse world-class grain processing center in Putnam County, enhancing the agricultural landscape and providing numerous economic benefits throughout the Illinois Valley and beyond,” a company news release stated.

Marquis’ recently expanded soybean crush facility makes the facility one of the largest single-site soybean processors in the country. The new facility can crush 6,000 tons of soybeans per day, procured from about 80 million bushels of soybeans purchased annually from north-central Illinois farmers within a 75-mile radius of the plant.

“Our aim is to actively contribute to the growth of our local community and the surrounding regions by providing a state-of-the-art processing facility to enhance the local agricultural landscape. With our team and technical resources, we are confident this facility will set new benchmarks in soybean processing excellence, safety and sustainability,” stated Mark Marquis, Marquis Energy CEO.

Illinois legislators including U.S. Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Rep. Robin Kelly and Rep. Lauren Underwood were instrumental in securing the federal funding for Hennepin and Hardin, along with an additional $34.5 million in PIDP funds for Illinois International Port District improvements at the Lake Michigan entry to the city of Chicago. The lawmakers announced the funding through a recent press release issued by Durbin’s office.

“Ensuring our ports move goods reliably and efficiently will support our local and regional economies. Sen. Duckworth and I will continue working with our colleagues in the House for federal resources to improve and expand Illinois’ infrastructure,” Durbin said.

“I’m proud to secure these federal funds that will help local farmers and businesses, while investing in infrastructure that is sustainable and will give us a competitive edge,” Underwood added, 

The Illinois River port funding through USDOT’s PIDP is part of a nearly $580 million investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support 31 port improvement projects in 15 states. Sinkler considers the Illinois River’s inclusion in the federal port improvement plan to be ample evidence that USDOT considers the Illinois Waterway to be an important link in the global supply chain.

“It sends a message that the Illinois Waterway is here to stay and that the federal government is willing to make a big investment in the region. We want to be a national leader in biofuels, and this is a major step and a big advancement in that area. This postures central Illinois to be a leader in renewable fuels production,” he said.