Gov. Pritzker, IDOT Break Ground on Fertilizer Distribution Center at Shawneetown Port ​

OLD SHAWNEETOWN – Governor JB Pritzker joined the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and state and local leaders at the Shawneetown Regional Port District today to break ground on a new fertilizer distribution center along the Ohio River. This fertilizer terminal will boost regional freight activity, create jobs, and reinvigorate economic opportunity in the region. Made possible by $12.6 million from Governor Pritzker’s Rebuild Illinois capital program, the project also will make local agriculture operations more efficient by reducing the traveling distance to the next closest port, resulting in improved safety as well as less wear and tear on local roads.

“The Shawneetown Regional Port will soon be revitalized with new activity–moving millions of pounds of fertilizer for Illinois’ thriving agriculture industry,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Through this funding and partnership, we’re bringing jobs, investment, and opportunity to the people of Gallatin County, while helping Shawneetown become a thriving river community with a bustling intermodal hub once again.” ​

“Freight is the lifeblood of Illinois, fueling billions in economic activity and supporting millions of jobs on the ground, through the air, and over our rivers,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Gia Biagi. “Combined with other investments we are making under Governor Pritzker, these improvements in Shawneetown will only grow those numbers and make southeastern Illinois an even better place to work and do business.”

“DCEO is proud to support this major revitalization infrastructure project,” said Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) Director Kristin Richards. “This investment in the Shawneetown Port will ensure Illinois maintains its position as a leader in the agriculture, transportation, distribution, and logistics sectors, and simultaneously expand opportunities for our local economies. This investment underscores the importance of investing in and prioritizing our state's infrastructure, and underscores why Illinois is the best place to live, work, and do business.”

Old Shawneetown is located on the Ohio River between southern Illinois and western Kentucky. The Ohio River powered early economic development and commerce in Shawneetown, with the Shawneetown Regional Port District supporting the shipping of coal—an industry that employed much of Shawneetown. In the 1990s, a decline in coal mining also saw the decline in jobs and economic growth in this region of Illinois.

Since then, Shawneetown Port has undergone significant renovations in recent years to advance the region’s participation in the global marketplace. This newest project is funded by a combined $27 million in combined public and private funds.

“We are overjoyed to be a part of the first step to the revitalization of the Shawneetown Port,” said Patrick H. Scates, President of SGI River Terminals, LLC. “Governor Pritzker and IDOT understand and see the value in investing in our inland waterway Ports and Terminals in Illinois. This public private facility will not only bring much needed jobs to southeastern Illinois but also bring better pricing and supply of fertilizer to our Illinois farmers.”

“We are excited by this next step in the economic revitalization of Southern Illinois and of the Shawneetown Regional Port from being one that primarily served the coal industry to one that serves sustainable industries with the very real potential to bring jobs and economic growth back to Gallatin County,” said Chair of Shawneetown Port Mark York. “The Port is hopeful that this is the first of many projects coming to our region.”

The project will create a new hub—partly built from repurposed river infrastructure once used to facilitate coal shipments—where fertilizer can be received, stored, blended, and transported via barges and trucks. After construction concludes in 2026, the new facility is expected to create nearly 50 jobs, ranging from barge workers and truck drivers to new positions at the port district.

The impacts of the new fertilizer distribution center will reach far beyond Shawneetown, with economic revitalization benefiting farming and other industries in Illinois.

“The Shawneetown distribution center is a game-changer for Illinois farmers,” said Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture Jerry Costello II. “By improving logistics and access to essential inputs like fertilizer, we’re gaining efficiency, saving money, and building a stronger future for Illinois agriculture.”

“The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is proud to support projects that bring economic growth and opportunities to southern Illinois,” said Illinois Department of Natural Resources Director Natalie Phelps Finnie. “Shawneetown’s roots as a strategic commercial hub are older than the State of Illinois itself, which makes investment in an inland port here all the more fitting. And as a resident of this area, I’m pleased that Governor Pritzker is working to revitalize the region.”

Funding from IDOT was awarded from $150 million Gov. Pritzker made available via Rebuild Illinois on a competitive basis to improve the state’s 19 public ports, the first time in state history a capital program invested in waterways. Projects were selected based on their potential to advance IDOT’s Illinois Marine Transportation System Plan, which prioritizes asset management performance-based decisions and benefits to disadvantaged or economically distressed areas.

Additionally, $400,000 from IDOT’s Illinois Competitive Freight Program is leveraging a total investment of nearly $10 million to build a new main entrance road, eliminating a bottleneck for trucks and making the Shawneetown port a more attractive option than Ohio River ports in Indiana and Kentucky.

Passed in 2019, Rebuild Illinois is investing a total $33.2 billion into the state’s aging transportation system over six years, creating jobs and promoting economic growth. Rebuild Illinois is not only the largest capital program in state history, but also the first one that touches all modes of Illinois transportation: roads and bridges, transit freight and passenger rail, aviation, and bicycle and pedestrian accommodations, in addition to waterways.

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