EDDYVILLE, Ky. – Area farmers stand to gain significantly from Gov. Andy Beshear’s announcement last Thursday of a $5.7 million Team Kentucky investment in public riverport projects across the commonwealth, with the Eddyville Riverport and Industrial Development Authority receiving more than $840,000 to support ongoing growth and infrastructure upgrades.
The riverport is a key part of the area’s infrastructure supporting agriculture, particularly for transporting grain and fertilizer.
Eddyville Riverport received $750,000 from the construction and maintenance fund for its ongoing Dolphin Project, which involves the installation of mooring dolphins, offshore structures used to secure barges. An additional $91,928 was awarded for a paving project totaling $183,876, aimed at improving traffic flow and safety within the port area.
According to project guidelines, eligible grants are reserved for new construction or major repairs to riverport infrastructure such as docks, wharves, loading equipment, roads, rail access, storage buildings and related facilities, not for routine maintenance.
Amanda Davenport, executive director of the Eddyville Riverport and Industrial Development Authority, said these investments come as the port prepares for a significant expansion, with work expected to begin next spring or summer on a new water inlet.
Groundwork for this expansion was laid in 2022 when the port received a federal Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) grant to construct the new inlet, approximately 300 feet long, 110 feet wide and 30 feet deep, on Lake Barkley at Cumberland River Mile 43. That addition will increase the available waterfront for loading and unloading.
State funds have also supported the installation of four new mooring dolphins, expanding the port’s current capabilities of three loading cells and eight fleeting cells.
“With this expansion, we’ll be able to double, or possibly even quadruple, the number of barges we can handle at one time,” said Davenport. “This is a game-changer for industry in western Kentucky.”
The funding announced last week is the final round of awards as part of a $2 million allocation announced in 2022.
Davenport hopes the paving project to improve land ingress and egress will be finished by harvest time this fall.
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