Heart Of Illinois Regional Port District Receives $460,000 Grant For Master Plan Development

The Heart of Illinois Regional Port District (HIRPD) will be able to map its future as lead port of a brand-new grouping of ports and waterways with a port master plan developed with the help of a $460,000 State Planning & Research Grant it announced in July. The grant program is part of the marine section of the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Consulting firm WSP USA Inc. has been awarded the prime contract by the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission to deliver the master plan.

The HIRPD was created through state legislation in 2003 and most recently supported, as the lead coordinating port, the establishment of the 10-county and five-port Illinois Waterway (ILWW) Ports Commission. The commission was recently signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker after unanimous support from the Illinois legislature.

Dan Silverthorn, chair of the HIRPD, said, “We are fortunate to have WSP USA Inc. leading this effort. This grant allows the HIRPD to strengthen our role as an economic enabler for the region and better support the underserved areas in our six counties and the larger ILWW Ports region. It is our goal that this process not only informs the HIRPD multimodal transportation objectives but also identifies additional regional economic development opportunities in central and north central Illinois.”

The ILWW Ports commission was recently listed as a top 25 bulk cargo port in the U.S. by the U..S Department of Transportation and was ranked as a Top 50 Power Port by Global Trade Magazine. The  ILWW Ports Commission saw a 13 percent increase in annual freight tonnage, and increased growth is projected.

The HIRPD Master Plan Development and Implementation Strategy Study is expected to be completed in the fall of 2024.