Missouri River Terminal

The Opportunity

Port KC is in the advanced planning stages for MRT after purchasing the 415-acre site in 2018 from AK Steel Corporation. The facility is planned as an intermodal container rail terminal and river port terminal with freight transload capabilities and the potential to serve possible transport logistics functions including on-site including retail distribution, warehousing, storage, e commerce, and other industrial activities.

Port KC plans to pursue the development of MRT as an advanced state-of-the-art intermodal development which will enhance the region’s rail, water, and highway trade platform. The Project contemplates the development of an inland intermodal (water, highway, and rail) port and transportation hub with potential transport logistics functions on-site or proximate including retail distribution, warehousing, freight transloading, e-commerce, and light manufacturing.

To enable development of MRT, Port KC is looking to engage with partners through long-term master development agreement(s) to finance, construct and develop the capital investment, future operational management, and maintenance of the Project.

Sky view of land sales listing kansas city
Sky view of land sales listing kansas city

The Project

The Missouri River Terminal (MRT) will establish Kansas City as the trade gateway of choice in the Midwest. This inland port’s unique and unparalleled access to the three major transportation modes will attract economic and employment reinvestment within a 25-mile industrial corridor on the east side of Kansas City, which has been long neglected.

Advancing MRT

Missouri River Terminal is a key economic and employment generating initiative that Port KC is firmly committed to developing to further boost the economic growth of the region. In October 2020, USDOT awarded Port KC a Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) Grant for $1.2 million to accelerate the planning and early works construction activities required to advance MRT’s progress to full site construction quickly after environmental approvals are received.

To evidence this commitment and enhance the viability of MRT, Port KC has undertaken a series of critical pre-development tasks. Port KC has over $26 million to date in federal and state funding along with substantial Port KC revenue in order to ensure the success of the project and cover significant pre-development activities. Activities which have been completed or are currently being undertaken include:

Environmental Mitigation

Potential mitigation sites have been identified and preliminary site work is underway.

 

Environmental Permitting

Extensive environmental fieldwork has been completed and preparation of submissions for state and federal environmental permits is underway.

 

Phase I Environmental Assessments

Non-intrusive Phase I environmental assessments have been or are being performed.

 

Site Access Requirements

A strategic assessment of site access requirements and opportunities is underway.

 

The proposed MRT Project is uniquely positioned to provide maximum efficiency in operations and logistics, as well as competitive costs to intermodal customers (water, highway, and rail). Some of the advantages of the Port KC Project include:

 

1. Unparalleled Access:

 

A. MISSOURI RIVER

MRT will be able to create a commercial shipping port located on the Missouri River; allowing for a future river terminal here is direct access to the Missouri River which can utilize previous dock infrastructure at the MRT site.

B. RAIL

There is planned direct access from MRT to five Class I rail roads are located within the vicinity of the proposed Project that service the Heart of the central United States and both coasts of the United States and Canada and into Mexico.

 

C. INTERSTATE

There is direct access and a planned interchange to connect Interstate 435 and the multi-directional Kansas City interstate highway system that provides outstanding access to the Blue River Valley industrial corridor, the broader KC metro region and beyond.

overhead view of the Missouri River Terminal

In The News

 

Port & Logistics

 

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