The Kaskaskia Regional Port District, with a $2.7 million grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation, completed the installation of a new conveyor at KRPD #2. The conveyor is used to transload fertilizer from barge to Gateway FS.
The old conveyor exceeded its life span and was in desperate need of replacement. The project also includes Gateway FS’s expansion of the dry fertilizer building. That building was increased by 40%.
Red Dot Construction, Inc., of Chester, was the General Contractor on the project. The old conveyor was decommissioned on Sept. 1, 2024. The project was on a critical timeline to ensure that fertilizer could be moved before the spring of 2025 field work. Some lost days of construction occurred during the extremely cold weather at the end of January. Other contractors and suppliers included Volkert, Inc., Sackett-Waconia, North Co. Electric and SITCO.
The Port has several other projects funded for KRPD #2 that will improve the safety, reliability and efficiency of the terminal. The next project that will go to bid will be the second entrance road to the terminal and two laydown yards to store coils of steel.
The Kaskaskia Regional Port District is the 68th largest port and the 12th largest inland port in the country. It is also the 5th largest port in Illinois. Commodities shipped through the Port District include coiled steel, fertilizer, scrubber stone, gypsum, fly ash and grain.
