SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker wants the state to spend $40 million to develop a river port in Cairo, where the Mississippi and Ohio rivers meet.
The Southern Illinoisan reports that Senate President Don Harmon filed the capital bill proposal last week as a formality on Pritzker’s behalf. The measure would spend $110 million for statewide public port projects that include constructing the terminal in Cairo.
Pritzker’s proposal comes after Sen. Dale Fowler spent months advocating for an inland Cairo port. Fowler says the earmarked money indicates the project is inching closer to becoming a reality.
