City sets sights on further municipal dock expansion
Written on December 21, 2009
St. Louis officials expect to find out next month if the city will get a $32 million federal stimulus grant to expand the municipal dock, putting the region in line to profit from more cargo traffic on the Mississippi River.
Expansion of the Panama Canal in 2014 is expected to increase global shipping and boost traffic on U.S. waterways, especially the Mississippi. As the river’s northernmost ice-free port, and downstream from the lock-and-dam system, St. Louis is poised to gain importance as a transportation hub, officials said.
To take advantage of the gain, the city is working on a $50 million plan to rebuild and expand the municipal docks at the foot of North Market Street.
On Friday, the city received a $15.6 million Commerce Department grant to replace the complex’s south dock. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke announced the grant at City Hall with Mayor Francis Slay.
Locke said the south dock is "a crucial piece of local infrastructure" that needs replacement. The half-century-old dock already was crumbling when flooding last year caused further damage. Officials said that without repairs the dock could collapse in a few years personal loan for poor credit.
City development officials said a $3.9 million loan from the city’s port authority will provide the required match for the Commerce Department grant.
But the big prize would be the $32 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER grant, as part of the federal stimulus package. Competition for the grants is stiff. The government has received 1,380 applications, totaling $56.5 billion in requests, for the $48 billion available.
The city wants to connect the new south dock to a rebuilt north dock with a middle dock that would provide a 2,000-foot location to load and unload barges.
Slay said the Commerce Department money will help the city improve its port and preserve jobs.
"It is also part of an overall strategy to expand international trade to and from St. Louis, which has the potential to create many more jobs," he said.
Filed in: marketing.