(JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind.) – Ports of Indiana has been awarded a $25 million BUILD grant (Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development) from the U.S. Department of Transportation to support a $32 million expansion of the Jeffersonville port. The grant is the largest federal award in Ports of Indiana’s 65-year history – more than double the previous high for any Indiana port.
It also represents the Jeffersonville port’s largest single infrastructure investment since opening in 1985, more than doubling the facility’s general cargo footprint and increasing the port’s lift capacity from 35 tons to 300 tons.
“Indiana’s ports are essential to keeping our economy moving, and this $25 million BUILD grant is a major investment in our state’s future,” said Indiana Gov. Mike Braun. “Expanding our Jeffersonville port’s capacity to move cargo by river, rail and truck will create new opportunities for Indiana manufacturers, farmers and businesses while supporting high-quality jobs across southern Indiana.”
The BUILD program is administered by U.S. Department of Transportation to provide grants for surface transportation infrastructure projects with significant local or regional impact. This week, the agency awarded $1.73 billion in BUILD grants to 127 projects from 1,200 applications.
The Jeffersonville grant will fund a major redevelopment of an underutilized area along the Ohio River into a high-volume multimodal terminal. The project includes a new 300-ton crane system, a 6,500-square-foot dock, and a 22,000-square-foot warehouse designed to improve operational efficiency and expand heavy-lift and breakbulk capabilities.
“This is a transformational project for our Jeffersonville port and the entire southern Indiana region,” said Ports of Indiana CEO Jody Peacock. “We are deeply grateful to the U.S. Department of Transportation for this award, and to our federal, state and local port partners who helped make this project possible. This investment will dramatically increase the port’s capacity to handle larger steel and project cargoes, increase storage and operational efficiencies, lower transportation costs for regional industry, and strengthen Jeffersonville’s position as one of the Midwest’s premier multimodal freight hubs for decades to come.”
Once complete, the expansion will increase lift capacity by more than 800 percent, double barge-rail trans-loading capacity, and establish the port’s first general cargo facility located outside the floodplain. The project is expected to be completed in 2028.
– Ports of Indiana
