ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — Everyday commodities, freight and goods are shipped from terminals in this area down the Mississippi River.
“We ship 100,000 tons of freight out of this region," Corn Belt Ports Executive Director Robert Sinkler said.
However, Sinkler said it wasn’t until 2019 that the area was on the federal government’s radar for funding. He said that's because goods were shipped out of privately owned terminals and were not classified as ports.
"This whole Corn Belt Ports effort has just been an effort to organize everything that's been there for decades," Sinkler said.
After realizing the Midwest was missing out on funding, the Corn Belt Ports were formed to join together terminals, elevating the economic shipping impact in the area. Sinkler said Eastern Illinois ports moved 11.3 million tons of goods in 2022.
The Upper Mississippi River Ports span from Dubuque to Louisa County.
"We think it just helped raise our profile, make us more competitive and get decision makers at the national level more aware of what we have here," Sinkler said.
According to Sinkler, more money coming in for improvements can make a big impact on local businesses and farmers.
"One of our primary focuses is to reduce transportation costs and reduce transportation risks," he said.
Mike Thoms is the mayor of Rock Island and the chairman of the Rock Island Port District. He sayid Rock Island is now able to access more funding after it was classified as a port in January.
“It shows what you can do if you work as a region versus just individually," Thoms said. "It is not just the river. It’s the roads, it’s the rail, it's the air, anything that really can be ale to help transport the multimodal type of situation."