On Sept. 4, the Jefferson County Port Authority finalized its purchase of the Herculaneum river port property from the Riverview Commerce Park (RCP) for $20 million, said Derrick Good, president of the Port Authority board.
The port is located on former Doe Run Co. property along the Mississippi River in Herculaneum and is used for the loading and unloading of shipping vessels. The port’s proximity to both rail lines and I-55 makes it an appealing destination for those looking to speed up the supply chain, according to the Port Authority’s website.
The Port Authority used $18 million of the $25 million it received in the 2023-2024 state budget to buy the port property. The Port Authority has set aside the rest of those funds to improve roads and complete improvements at the port in anticipation of expanding the port operations and building a container-on-vessel port with American Patriot Holdings (APH) there. The Port Authority took out a $2 million loan to cover the rest of the $20 million cost to buy the port property, Good said.
He said the Port Authority would pay back that loan with revenue from port operations.
The Herculaneum port is the first publicly owned terminal facility in Jefferson County, according to the Port Authority.
Good said the Port Authority has entered into a contract with RCP, a partnership of Environmental Operations Inc., J.H. Berra Construction and Fred Weber Inc., all of St. Louis, to take care of the port’s day-to-day operations.
Previously, RCP had operated the port since 2013 on former Doe Run Co. property. Doe Run still owns the 650 or so acres surrounding the port, Good said.
The Doe Run lead smelter, which opened in 1892 and produced lead from raw ore, shut down in 2013 as part of a comprehensive settlement with the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the state of Missouri.
“My goal was always to make the Port Authority a self-sustaining entity, and (the purchase) gives us the ability to head in that direction,” Good said. “Once we’re self-sustaining, then hopefully we can find additional ways to help the local economy grow.”
APH, an international company, has selected Herculaneum to develop a port on the site of the former lead smelting plant to accommodate the company’s specialized barges that will carry large metal shipping containers from Plaquemines, La., up the Mississippi River.
Good said before APH can manufacture its larger and faster oceangoing vessels and send them to Herculaneum, the port in Louisiana must be restructured to accommodate the shipping containers.
“There are a series of things that have to happen,” he said. “Once (Plaquemines) can accept those bigger vessels down there, then hopefully the dominos will start to fall and APH can get the money to build their vessels so they can bring their containers up. Right now, nobody down there can even accept the containers in a bigger quantity.”
Shovels in dirt
In the meantime, Good said plans are in motion to improve Riverport Way, the current port entrance road in Herculaneum used to haul materials from the river to I-55.
An additional public access road called the Broadway Extension will be built across the western edge of the Doe Run property that is capable of withstanding heavy industrial use but is open for civilian traffic, said Port Authority executive director Jim McNichols.
McNichols said the two road projects will cost an estimated $1 million, but the price tag is subject to change.
Those projects will primarily be paid for through state funding, with a 10 percent match from the Port Authority, Good said.
It’s the Port Authority’s goal that requests for proposals for both road projects be sent out by this winter, with the bids awarded by spring 2025, McNichols said.
“We figure if we get this out this winter or early next year, ahead of the construction season, we might be able to get a slightly better price,” he said.
Riverport Way is difficult for heavy industrial traffic to navigate in its current state, McNichols said.
The new road, on the other hand, will be a “straight shot” from the bridge flying over Joachim Creek to the port loading area, with no stop signs or lights, he said.
The project also includes creating a new access point for the Herculaneum water treatment plant, which currently branches off from Riverport Way on School Street.
The Broadway Extension will connect Broadway to the new port entrance road so motorists may more easily access Hwy. 61-67. In addition, current Herculaneum water and sewer lines that traverse through the Doe Run property will be capped off, and the replacement lines will run along the Broadway Extension, McNichols said.
Good said the public road would free up property in the center of the original Doe Run plant, which Doe Run could then lease for industrial development.
“We want to see the most successful port we can because, clearly, that helps our entire region,” he said.
More business
McNichols said the port has received a lot of interest from businesses, even though construction hasn’t yet begun on the container-on-vessel port or the road leading from it.
“Once the dirt starts moving, I think you’re going to see some property gobbled up over there pretty quickly,” he said.
The Herculaneum Board of Aldermen agreed last December to approve Doe Run’s request to rezone its property from community commercial, heavy industrial, residential and undesignated to Port District.
At the time former City Administrator Jim Kasten, who retired in March, said rezoning the property could lead to economic development for Herculaneum.
“If we want to grow forward, we need the change,” he said. “We need to provide the ability for our city to grow.”
McNichols said the public is welcome to view the Port Authority’s plans for the river access point at its office in Crystal City, 114 Mississippi Ave., adding that he would be happy to discuss the plans with anyone interested.
“What we’re doing over here isn’t sexy – it’s not something people can see,” he said. “It’s hard for people to visualize it until they really see shovels in the ground.”