Port of Kansas City
The Port of Kansas City is an Inland Port located at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers in Kansas City, Missouri. The Missouri Inland waterway allows for barge traffic from St. Louis, MO to Sioux City, IA. However, Most of the commercial traffic on the Missouri river is concentrated between Kansas City and St. Louis. The Inland Water way system is made up of several Marine Highways. Kansas City is on M-70 which Extends from Kansas City to Pittsburgh, and intersects the M-55 at St. Louis allowing shipping to New Orleans, Chicago, Minneapolis and connects major cities from all over the eastern United States.[1]
After seeing years of decline and dwindling tonnage levels, The Port of Kansas City closed in 2007. However, The Kansas City Port Authority took over the port and reopened it in August 2012 for commercial use.[1] The Port of Kansas City used to ship and receive millions of tons of freight, however, in 2007 when it ceased operations it was only processing 600,000 tons of freight a year.[2] Extensive renovations are underway at the Port and expect to see full completion by 2015 or 2016. The Kansas City Port Authority is trying to revive the barge industry in Kansas City, and believes it can be a great economic engine for the Kansas City area. They have recently hired a Director of Port Operations who has been tasked to establish sustainable levels of freight operations and oversee the eventual private public partnership of the port.[1]
Typically barge shipments are cheaper than other modes of transportation and have less of a negative impact on the environment. However, the marine shipping industry has suffered on the Missouri due to years of drought and a shipping season that closes during the winter months. The Army Corps of Engineers is supposed to have a shipping channel of at least 6 ft. deep on the Missouri from St. Louis, MO to Sioux City, IA all year long. Recently, they have been hoarding water in the Northern States for recreational purposes, and this effectively closes all barge traffic during the winter months and disrupts traffic in season. This has drawn sharp criticism from Jay Nixon, Missouri's Governor, and Sam Brownback, the Kansas Governor.[1]
Port Facility
- One of the largest storage and distribution centers serving the Missouri River
- A true Intermodal facility, transferring product between barge, rail and truck
- Product through the terminal includes fertilizer, grain, corn, meal, bark, rock clinker, salt, rolled and coiled steel, H-beams, plate steel, Rebar and petroleum coke
- Approximately 160,000 square feet wharehouse storage space and outside storage pads available
- Efficient inbound/outbound loading system consisting of three 25-ton cranes and one 100-ton crane, eight front-end loaders and portable conveyor systems
- On-site truck scale allows for fast and efficient loading[3]
Transportation
- Located on the M-70 Marine Highway at river mile 367.1.
- Terminal served by the Union Pacific Railroad, with extensive rail track at the facility for loading/unloading.
- Six class-1 railroad yards are located nearby.
- Immediate access to I-70, I-35, I-29, & Hwy. 71/I-49
- Access to KCATA transit system.
- Located next to the Kansas City Downtown Airport, and 10 minutes away from the Kansas City International Airport.
- Terminal effectively serves any area within a 200 mile radius of Kansas City, MO[3]
- Kansas City is the second-largest rail hub and third-largest trucking hub in the country.
