Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller (R-Winona) today presented a bill in the Senate’s Transportation Committee to invest $28 million to upgrade Minnesota port facilities and infrastructure and expand port capacity through the state’s Port Development Assistance Program. One of the top priorities for the Port Development Assistance Program is the Port of Winona’s Mississippi Riverfront Connection, which is a dock expansion and levee rehabilitation project.
The city of Winona’s director of community development, Lucy McMartin, testified in support of the bill. The Winona Port is the third busiest in the state.
“The ports are a critical, but sometimes overlooked, part of a thriving economy,” Sen. Miller said. “Especially with global demand for freight expected to triple in the coming years, we need to make sure our ports and waterways are prepared. And a special thank you to Lucy McMartin for making such a persuasive case to the committee about why this funding is so vital for our future. She did a wonderful job.”
Minnesota’s ports on the upper Mississippi and Great Lakes provide critical access to global markets. The agriculture sector uses these ports to move commodities such as soybeans, corn, and other grains, and the energy sector increasingly uses waterways to ship wind turbines, blades, and towers.
The bill was laid over and will be considered for the transportation supplemental budget bill.
Minnesota Port Development Assistance Program priority projects for 2022
- St. Paul Port Authority:
- Harbor Improvements to accommodate River Cruises $2,500,000
- Red Rock New Barge Loading System $7,500,000
- Port of Winona:
- Winona Mississippi Riverfront Connection-Dock Expansion, Rehabilitate Levee $2,300,000
- Red Wing Port Authority:
- Bulkhead repair and rebuilding $1,725,000
- Levee dock mooring cluster repair and replacement $ 440,000
- River channel sediment control measures near bulkhead $3,000,000
- Duluth Seaway Port Authority:
- Demolish four compromised and outdated grain elevator structures and ancillary building $ 3,500,000
- Rehabilitate 1,950 lineal feet of dilapidated dock wall $14,000,000