Kaskaskia Regional Port District Installs New Conveyor

The Kaskaskia Regional Port District, making use of a $2.7 million grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation, has completed the installation of a new conveyor at KRPD #2. The conveyor is used to transload fertilizer from barges to Gateway FS.

The old conveyor had exceeded its lifespan and was in desperate need of replacement, according to port officials. The project also includes Gateway FS’s expansion of the dry fertilizer building. That building was increased in size by 40 percent. Red Dot Inc. was the general contractor on the project. The old conveyor was decommissioned on September 1. The project was on a critical timeline to ensure that fertilizer could be moved before spring 2025 field work as some days of construction were lost 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 designed to improve the safety, reliability and efficiency of the terminal. The next project to 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 fifth largest port in Illinois. Commodities shipped through the port district include coiled steel, fertilizer, scrubber stone, gypsum, fly ash and grain.