Largest one-time investment in Port Milwaukee since the 1950s

(Posted on 18/07/23)

Port Milwaukee and The DeLong Co., Inc. is to celebrate the grand opening of the $40-million Agricultural Maritime Export Facility on Jones Island, the largest one-time investment in Port Milwaukee history since the 1950s.

Representatives from the Port, DeLong and the City of Milwaukee will be joined by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, Mayor Cavalier Johnson, and federal, state, and local officials to celebrate the completion of this major investment that will create jobs, support Wisconsin’s agriculture industry, and grow the regional economy.

The facility, located on the west side of Jones Island, will be one of the first on the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Seaway (GLSLS) system to handle various agricultural commodities via truck, rail and international vessel, including Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles (DDGs). DDGs are an animal feed supplement derived as a byproduct of ethanol high in nutrients. This facility will open Wisconsin’s maritime and agricultural economies to new international markets for this and other products. Future service at the facility may also include the export of Wisconsin-grown soybeans, corn and grain.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has estimated the DeLong terminal will generate $63 million in new statewide economic impact annually, increasing exports through Port Milwaukee by as much as 400,000 metric tons per year.

Thanks to a robust public-private partnership, this development is the largest one-time investment in Port Milwaukee since the 1950s. Port Milwaukee was one of the first nationwide grant recipients of the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) through the U.S. Department of Transportation. Additional facility funding has been provided by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Port Milwaukee, and The DeLong Co., Inc.

Port Milwaukee offers a commercial operational flexibility unique to the western Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway inland waterway system. The port is located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, about seventy five miles north of the city of Chicago. It is 1,021 nautical miles from Montreal, Quebec with a transit time by water from Montreal of about 4.5 days.