$20 Million Acquisition includes the operations of Riverview Commerce Park, LLC, which will now serve as the first publicly owned terminal facility in Jefferson County
The Jefferson County Port Authority (JCPA) has closed on the purchase of approximately 18 acres along the Mississippi River at 600 Riverport Way in Herculaneum, Mo. The acreage, which was sold to JCPA by Riverview Commerce Park, LLC (RCP), along with the operations of RCP, was secured in a $20 million acquisition that was announced at a September 12 news conference at the Herculaneum Fire Department. The site will serve as the first publicly owned terminal facility in Jefferson County and as a catalyst for various other infrastructure improvements tied to further port development.
Located just 35 miles south of St. Louis, the port terminal at RCP is situated below any lock and dam system, providing a direct shot to the Gulf of Mexico. The terminal has more than 3,000 feet of rail spur, located directly off of the Union Pacific Railroad, and is less than two miles from Interstate 55, which provides easy connections to Interstates 64, 44 and 70.
“The port facility and surrounding acreage anchors a broader 300-acre site that earlier this year received Port District zoning, making way for redevelopment as an intermodal transportation hub and industrial park,” said Jim McNichols, executive director of the Jefferson County Port Authority. “This latest deal marks a significant step forward in those efforts.”
Under the terms of the deal, the port facility will continue to be operated by Riverview Commerce Park, LLC, in partnership with JCPA. Approximately one million tons of freight moved through the port in 2023, the most recent year for which the tonnage numbers are available.
In 2022, JCPA received $25 million in funding from the State of Missouri to help support port development. This funding allowed JCPA to enter into this agreement and begin planning for infrastructure improvements to the site. The planned upgrades include construction of a new road that will create a new entryway to improve ingress and egress at the port facility, providing a direct link from the bridge over Joachim Creek to the dock for industrial traffic. A new Broadway Extension Road, new sewer infrastructure, additional dock improvements, new pavement and a new retaining wall are also planned.
The new roads have all been designed and gone through final engineering. RFPs will be released in the near future for the planned roadway improvements and other infrastructure investments to improve accessibility, safety and traffic flow at points of entry and exit at the site.
The investments in the multimodal port facility will help support the continued transportation of bulk commodities via barge, rail and truck, while continuing to pave the way for the ultimate arrival of innovative Container-on-Vessel (COV) service that will operate on the new, all-water, north-south trade lane connecting the Midwest and the St. Louis region to the lower Mississippi River and on to worldwide destinations.
Mary Lamie serves as Executive Vice President of Multimodal Enterprises for Bi-State Development and head of the St. Louis Regional Freightway, which works to promote the St. Louis region as a global freight hub. The organization recently added the Herculaneum site to the list of rail-served sites in the bi-state region that it is promoting to capitalize on the St. Louis region’s important role at the nexus of the nation’s thriving rail network.
“The investment being made in this part of the site will enhance its appeal for those seeking a rail-served industrial location, but it goes beyond that,” said Lamie. “It will unlock additional potential that strengthens our entire region’s port system and enhances the multimodal optionality that is so important to shippers.”
