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Last week, U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) announced the Tri-City Regional Port District received an $8.5 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant for the Southwest Regional Intermodal Freight Transportation Hub.

The district plans to build a new south harbor and connecting rail lines for a multi-modal inland waterway transportation barge port and associated rail/truck facility in Madison County, Ill. The district manages America’s Central Port in Granite City, Ill., which is served by BNSF Railway Co., CN, CSX Transportation, Kansas City Southern, Norfolk Southern Railway and Union Pacific Railroad, and connects with regional switching carrier the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis. Local switching services within the port are provided by the Port Harbor Railroad.

Last year, Costello helped secure a $6 million TIGER grant for the project. In combination with state and local funding, the additional $8.5 million grant will complete funding for the work, he said in a prepared statement.

“This is an important project for our region, and is a national model for intermodal transportation projects,” said Costello, a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “It takes advantage of our region’s central location and proximity to the Mississippi River and major interstate highways to create an efficient transportation network.”