7
The Tri-State Development Summit is sharpening its focus and addressing issues related to several task forces. Summit Task Force committees have been the driving force behind a number of accomplishments in the tri-state region, including: • Achieving the development of nearly 1,300 miles of regional highway priorities. • Creating opportunities for entrepreneurs to network and grow their businesses. • Promoting regional tourist attractions through collaborative marketing pieces. • Starting a Workforce Development Consortium that works with the private sector to offer training needed to strengthen the economy of the entire region. • Aiding in providing additional affordable housing as well as various programs to help with homeownership. The Summit Task Forces and areas of interest play important roles in economic development for our 36-county tri-state region. CONNECTIVITY 2007 HOUSING 2005 TOURISM 1997 TRANSPORTATION 1997 Including Rivers Issues AGRICULTURE EMERGENCY RESPONSE ENTREPRENEURSHIP 2007 MEDIA WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BE A PART of the Tri-State Movement Please fill out your information and hand your sheet to one of the Tri-State Development Summit committee members or email [email protected] or mail to 300 Civic Center Plaza, Suite 256, Quincy, IL 62301. name rst last company title address city state zip email phone 1 work cell home phone 2 work cell home The Task Force(s) I am interested in being a part of: Connectivity Housing Tourism Transportation Other area(s) of interest: Entrepreneurship Agriculture Emergency Response Media Workforce Development T RI S TATEOF M IND.ORG 2016 TASK FORCE REPORTS

2016 TASK FORCE REPORTS - Tristate of Mindtristateofmind.com/.../2016-Tri-State-Task-Force-Reports.pdf · 2016-12-13 · 2016 TASK FORCE REPORT TRANSPORTATION There has been some

  • Upload
    others

  • View
    2

  • Download
    0

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: 2016 TASK FORCE REPORTS - Tristate of Mindtristateofmind.com/.../2016-Tri-State-Task-Force-Reports.pdf · 2016-12-13 · 2016 TASK FORCE REPORT TRANSPORTATION There has been some

The Tri-State Development Summit is sharpening its focus and addressing issues related to several task forces. Summit Task Force committees have been the driving force behind a number of accomplishments in the tri-state region, including:

• Achieving the development of nearly 1,300 miles of regional highway priorities.

• Creating opportunities for entrepreneurs to network and grow their businesses.

• Promoting regional tourist attractions through collaborative marketing pieces.

• Starting a Workforce Development Consortium that works with the private sector to offer training needed to strengthen the economy of the entire region.

• Aiding in providing additional affordable housing as well as various programs to help with homeownership.

The Summit Task Forces and areas of interest play important roles in economic development

for our 36-county tri-state region.

CONNECTIVITY 2007 • HOUSING 2005 • TOURISM 1997 • TRANSPORTATION 1997 Including Rivers Issues

AGRICULTURE • EMERGENCY RESPONSE • ENTREPRENEURSHIP 2007 • MEDIA • WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

BE A PART of the Tri-State Movement Please fill out your information and hand your sheet to one of the Tri-State Development Summit committee members

or email [email protected] or mail to 300 Civic Center Plaza, Suite 256, Quincy, IL 62301.

name first last

company title

address

city state zip

email

phone 1 work cell home phone 2 work cell home

The Task Force(s) I am interested in being a part of: Connectivity Housing Tourism Transportation

Other area(s) of interest: Entrepreneurship Agriculture Emergency Response Media Workforce Development

TRISTATEOFMIND.ORG

2016 TASK FORCE REPORTS

Page 2: 2016 TASK FORCE REPORTS - Tristate of Mindtristateofmind.com/.../2016-Tri-State-Task-Force-Reports.pdf · 2016-12-13 · 2016 TASK FORCE REPORT TRANSPORTATION There has been some

2016 TASK FORCE REPORT HOUSING

Adequate housing-like highways, healthcare and retail establishments-is necessary to achieve desired growth and quality of life in a region. For that reason, the Tri-State Development Summit established the Housing Task Force in 2005.

According to the Housing Assistance Council’s analysis of the 2001 American Housing Survey and the 2000 Census of Population and Housing, more than 5.5 million households in non-metropolitan parts of the United States (about one-quarter of all non-metro households) rent their homes. The analysis goes on to conclude that the gap between housing costs and incomes is the most significant problem, with more than one-third of rural renters (about 1.9 million households) cost burdened-that is, they pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing.

The Housing Task Force’s mission is to provide affordable workforce housing in the tri-state area. This includes:

1. Increasing affordable housing options for the region’s workforce

2. Providing counseling to first time homebuyers

3. Identifying funding sources for housing development throughout the region

The creation of affordable housing increases community pride, helps attract industry and increases property values and the community tax base.

Project Spotlight: Aspire Partnership HomesThe innovative Aspire Partnership Homes program is a collaboration between the Joint Apprenticeship Program of the Carpenters Union and the State Departments of Correction and Unions. The Housing Task Force is in the planning stages of this program which involves members of the Carpenter Union teaching inmates carpentry skills that allow them to build homes from the ground up. These homes would then be sold to low income home buyers. The homes would be transported from the prison to the home site and placed on a permanent foundation. Homes would be sold for $35,000 leaving the prison. The total cost with the foundation, land and fees would be between $65,000 and $70,000 for a brand new 2-bedroom home. Program partners have received initial approval to establish this program from the Federal Prison System. This win-win program will reduce recidivism while creating new home ownership opportunities and brining new housing into communities.

Focus Areas:• Green Technology using the Iowa Model of creating energy efficient homes

• Neighborhood Stabilization Programs – Purchasing foreclosed properties, renovating these properties and then selling or renting them to low income individuals – The City of Quincy’s program resulted in 11 new units and seven rehabbed homes for low income elderly households

• Foreclosure Modification/Mortgage Relief Programs

• Northeast Community Action Corporation – Helped 84 families become homeowners; rehabbed 287 owner occupied homes; weatherized 163 homes; counseled 469 families with homeownership and pre-purchase counseling; developed the Tiny Homes project; leveraged over $12 million in direct investment

• Two Rivers Regional Council of Public Officials – Administered the Rental Housing Support program through the Illinois Housing Development Authority as well as the Hardest Hit Program, counseling 50 families struggling with their mortgages and offering over $500,000 in assistance

• Two Rivers Regional Council of Public Officials – Weatherization of 80 homes totaling $537,758 in assistance

Page 3: 2016 TASK FORCE REPORTS - Tristate of Mindtristateofmind.com/.../2016-Tri-State-Task-Force-Reports.pdf · 2016-12-13 · 2016 TASK FORCE REPORT TRANSPORTATION There has been some

2016 TASK FORCE REPORT TRANSPORTATION

There has been some movement on transportation issues since the last Tri-State Development Summit (TDS) in May 2014 in Hannibal, MO, some very promising, some less promising. The following is an update of those activities within the TDS region. Overall, funding is tight. We continued to enjoy good working relations with our governors, senators, congressmen, state and local legislators, and the state DOTs. None of this progress would have been made without them.

In this report is a summary of the work by the Tri-State Development Summit. The work is done by the Summit’s Transportation Task Force (TTF) and the various individual highway coalitions, groups, and individuals, all working for transportation, within the region over the last two and one-half years.

Note: The Summit’s Highway Priority Maps & Google Earth Map are to be considered a part of this report and are available at www.tristateofmind.org.

HIGHWAYS In IowaGood News for Highway Funding in Iowa: Iowa increased its state gas tax by 10 cents per gallon since the last Summit, and the region already sees benefits. This funding increase is a major achievement in Iowa that had the backing of Gov. Branstad, a strong supporter of the Summit. The Summit’s thanks to the governor and Iowa legislators who supported this critically important issue.

US61 - North of Burlington: The Summit’s U.S. 61 Priority Corridor north of Burlington in Iowa currently has six (6) miles of roadway under construction and another eight (8) miles are fully funded and scheduled for completion in 2021. Engineering work is underway on this entire 8-mile segment. On Sept. 22, 2016, Iowa DOT received approval of a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the highway improvement project on U.S. 61 covering roughly 18 miles from the north city limit of Burlington to one mile north of Iowa 78 in Des Moines and Louisa counties. This finding is important as it moves this section of U.S. 61 into final design and right-of-way (R.O.W.) acquisition, etc. Only 11 miles of the U.S. 61 north of Burlington, from one mile north of Iowa 78 to two miles south of Iowa 92 still requires an approved FONSI before design work can begin in earnest. Of course, all this work continuing is subject to Iowa Highway Commission approval, which appears very promising.

US61 – Burlington, IA Bypass: The Summit has long held that a bypass of Burlington is needed. The Iowa DOT is getting ready to do a capacity analysis on what could be done to enhance traffic flow within Burlington along existing U.S. 61. This analysis makes sense. However, in the Summit’s opinion, a parallel track should be developed that will begin engineering studies of possible by-pass alignments, determine a final alignment and preserve right-of-way for what will be needed eventually, a U.S. 61 bypass of Burlington. The positive impact the Fort Madison bypass has made on the U.S. 61 corridor demonstrates the benefits that will be derived by such an improvement.

US61 – Southern End of Corridor: With work underway on the north end of the U.S. 61 corridor, future planning by Iowa DOT should include making this 4-lane corridor on U.S. 61 continue south to join with the completed four-lane

Avenue of the Saints corridor south of Keokuk at Running Fox School in Clark County, MO With that upgrade, the Summit’s highway priorities envisions that the Southeast Iowa portion the U.S. 61 corridor then would provide a 4-lane highway corridor south to St. Louis and beyond. This, of course, would be an expensive upgrade requiring the 4-laning of the existing bypass of Keokuk, 4-lane structures across the Des Moines River into Missouri and 8 miles of 4-lane roadway into Missouri to the Avenue of the Saints. On the Missouri portion of the present two-lane U.S. 61, MoDOT has long recognized the need to elevate a significant portion of this highway because of frequent flooding, which closes it to traffic. Only when the U.S. 61 corridor is finally completed as a 4-lane highway will there be a continuous, modern, safe highway corridor serving the communities in Southeast Iowa and the northeast corner of Missouri.

Highway 61 Coalition: This group’s purpose is to promote the 4-laning of the U.S. 61 corridor. They retained a public relations/lobbyist to work on securing funding for Iowa roads and U.S. 61. This cost the Coalition $18,000 a year for two years, or $36,000. With this investment, they obtained significant funding for U.S. 61 projects. The Summit thanks the Highway 61 Coalition for moving another highway regional priority forward in this very difficult funding environment!

US63 – Jefferson City, MO to Des Moines, IA: Unfortunately, the TDS priority of completing the 4-laning of U.S. 63 from Ottumwa south to the Missouri border seems to have not moved forward. The Iowa DOT has completed some preliminary engineering work on the section from Ottumwa south to Bloomfield. This road has been named the Corridor of the Capitols by the group that promotes it in Iowa and Missouri (Corridor of the Capitols Group), and it continues to be active. Hopefully, as funding becomes available, Iowa and Missouri can get this important corridor back on track. The Summit considers this an important economic development corridor. Additional information on this corridor is in the Missouri report.

In IllinoisChicago-Kansas City - CKC / State Routes 110: The 537-mile CKC Expressway starts in downtown Chicago on I-290 and ends in downtown Kansas City on I-35. Its uses nine different routes in Illinois and two in Missouri, but has a common route designation of 110 across both Illinois and Missouri. It also has

Page 4: 2016 TASK FORCE REPORTS - Tristate of Mindtristateofmind.com/.../2016-Tri-State-Task-Force-Reports.pdf · 2016-12-13 · 2016 TASK FORCE REPORT TRANSPORTATION There has been some

2016 TASK FORCE REPORT TRANSPORTATION

the CKC logo on every route marker along the entire corridor. This highway avoids I-55 from Chicago to Joliet, I-80 from Aurora to the Kansas border and I-70 from St Louis to Chicago – all highly traveled and overcrowded highways. It’s efficient routing goes through or is adjacent to all 36 of our Tri-State Development Summit counties. It was completed in Illinois in 2008 and in Missouri in 2010. Securing the funding took many years through cooperation of elected officials in both states and the continuing efforts of the region’s transportation advocates, some of whom have worked on this project since its origin. The Summit’s efforts in recent years were critical in its eventual completion. This investment in infrastructure will be critical to the economic future of our region.

Both Illinois DOT and Missouri DOT worked with the Summit Transportation Task Force in designing the CKC logo and the 110 common route designation signage that extends throughout both states. This route has the potential to significantly increase traffic through the Summit region. Most of the communities and businesses along the route are gearing up to begin promoting their communities’ location on the CKC both regionally and nationally. The delay for this campaign is awaiting the opening of the first two lanes of the Macomb bypass.

Macomb Bypass: The last remaining piece of the CKC is the completion of the Macomb bypass, a six-mile bypass taking CKC traffic around Macomb. It currently is undergoing staged construction with two of the four lanes scheduled to open in November 2017. This section is the last significant piece in finally completing the entire 537-mile CKC corridor – other than a bypass at Good Hope in Illinois, which has some preliminary design work underway.

It has taken many years to fund the Macomb project. There have been successful negotiations with several Illinois governors and state senators and representatives, along with continued advocacy and pressure from members of the Summit Transportation Task Force. Regional transportation leaders first secured $70 million funding in the 2009 capital bill “Jobs Now” for earthwork and right-of-way work. They secured another $32.5 million for all structures and paving for two lanes in October 2014. That work will be completed in 2017. The remaining two lanes will cost approximately $24 million, and that funding still needs to be acquired. When completed, this will bring the total to $126.5 million for six miles of highway, an incredible $21 million per mile.

US 34 – Burlington, IA to Monmouth, IL: This section of U.S. 34 is part of a national corridor from Galesburg, IL, to Des Moines, Iowa. The Trans-Iowa/Illinois Freight Corridor offers a feasible freight alternative to the Interstate 74 and Interstate 80 corridors. Since our last Summit, the 5.5-mile bypass of Biggsville, IL, has been completed and is open. This section effectively cuts a 23-mile section of road in half, leaving two nine-mile sections to be completed to finish up this four-lane highway from Burlington, Iowa, to Monmouth, IL. The west nine-mile section is currently undergoing a redo of the Phase I Study. A public meeting was held in October

2016 in which the alternate alignments were reduced to three. At this public meeting, a 2020 construction year was projected (subject to change), with an estimated construction cost of $120 million. For the remaining east nine-mile section, design work is complete and the project is ready for R.O.W. acquisition and construction. Unfortunately, at this time No funding has been budgeted.

US 67 – Alton, IL to Macomb, IL: The Summit wants to acknowledge the loss of one of the region’s outstanding highway advocates. Richard “Dick’ Rawlings chaired the Corridor 67 group for many years and was a regular attendee at our Summits. He worked tirelessly for U.S. 67 one of the Summit’s highest priorities. A completed section of U.S. 67 just west of Jacksonville was named in Dick’s honor this year.

U.S. 67 is a north-south corridor which lies along the eastern edge of the Summit region and serves some of the Summit’s larger communities. The proposed bridge crossing the Illinois River at Beardstown will add significant costs to the project. The bridge is now in final design, but no funding is available for construction.

Considerable construction has actually taken place on the 67 corridor over the past number of years, with completed construction from the Quad Cities to Macomb on the CKC, as well as, some work that has been completed just west of Jacksonville in Morgan County, both north and south of I72. In addition, further South in the Alton area, additional work has also been completed on 67 connecting it with I-255 at Godfrey providing an Interstate connection to the St. Louis metro area.

In addition, a large percentage of this highway also is in the final design phase and, in some cases, right-of-way is being purchased. Illinois DOT has positioned this corridor to be ready to go when funding becomes available.

The 67 project, upon completion as a four-lane corridor it will serve as an economic engine to the Summit’s eastern edge and needs to be completed. The remaining unfunded and unfinished portion of Corridor 67 project, at this point, is 99 miles.

IL 336 – Peoria to Macomb: This 60-mile long, four-lane expressway on a new, recently approved alignment, will provide a direct route between Peoria and Macomb when completed, connecting those areas in Illinois now on separate major highway corridors. This is one of the most sought-after highway improvements in the Summit area; its positive impacts are expected to be realized quickly upon completion. A promising sign of progress for this corridor is a six-mile highway section going west out of Peoria to Hanna City now under final design. From Peoria to the west of Canton has received a protected right-of-way status.

Illinois Highway Funding Outlook & Transportation

for Illinois Coalition: Predicting the future of funding for Illinois highways is difficult. When Gov. Bruce Rauner took office in January 2015, he quickly directed the Department of Transportation to hold hearings in 40 cities around the

Page 5: 2016 TASK FORCE REPORTS - Tristate of Mindtristateofmind.com/.../2016-Tri-State-Task-Force-Reports.pdf · 2016-12-13 · 2016 TASK FORCE REPORT TRANSPORTATION There has been some

2016 TASK FORCE REPORT TRANSPORTATION

state with the expressed purpose of increasing funding for infrastructure projects. To date, no action has taken place on this initiative. The approach of funding specific capital projects with capital funding legislation has worked well for funding the Summit’s priority highways. There is interest in both parties in the Illinois Legislature to increase funding for transportation. Portions of both the Chicago Kansas City Expressway and the Central Illinois Expressway have been the recipient of that type of funding. It is reasonable to expect there may be another capital plan after the November elections, or during the next legislative session. The Tri-State Development Summit has 183 miles of remaining unfunded priority highways in Illinois which will not be completed without a significant increase in capital funding levels. The Summit, acting through it Transportation Task Force, supports additional funding for the Illinois highway system.

Transportation for Illinois Coalition: Most transportation funding initiatives in Illinois are promoted by the Transportation for Illinois Coalition (TFIC). The TFIC is a diverse group of statewide and regional business, organized labor, and industry, governmental, and not-for-profit organizations that have joined in a united and focused effort to support a strong transportation alliance for Illinois. The coalition takes a comprehensive approach and seeks to speak with one voice for all of Illinois regarding transportation funding needs at both the state and federal levels. TFIC has worked effectively, and this year helped promote a constitutional amendment ballot measure that was approved by a wide margin in the Legislature, signed by the governor and sent to the voters. If passed, all funds earmarked for transportation would have to be spent for transportation purposes. This would be a win for transportation funding in Illinois. There is interest in the development of a similar type of organization to TFIC in Missouri, a very worthwhile effort.

In MissouriJohn Briscoe: John Briscoe, a well-known and respected local attorney from New London, MO, has been added to the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission, giving Northeast Missouri, and the entire region, an important voice on the Commission.

US61 Hannibal Relocation on US61 the Avenue of the

Saints: This is one of the region’s highest priorities – it was first identified in 1984, by a group of regional leaders in Western Illinois, and Northeast Missouri, who selected 10 major multi-million dollar transportation projects to work on, for the region economic development Today, this is the only one of those projects which has not been completed. In 1996 the Federal Highway Administration and MoDOT determined, in an extensive environmental study, that traffic on U.S. 61 on Hannibal City streets needed to be relocated. This was long before the creation of the Avenue of the Saints. Unfortunately, that project was never funded. Today, with three major highway corridors now crossing in Hannibal, and the Avenue of the Saints from St Paul to St Louis now pouring more major traffic into Hannibal’s congested city streets, where schools

and 7 traffic signals exist, this project is still undone. In addition, travelers on the Avenue of the Saints are now forced to drive 10 miles out of their way when a direct bypass route is possible and has been envisioned for years. In testimony before Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission, and MoDOT, on numerous occasions, we have urged that they proceed as soon as possible to complete plans and get this project shovel-ready, so that when funding is finally available they can immediately build it. Our last plea on this was in September, and we are hopeful it will be heeded.

US36 in MO from US61 west to US24 Upgrade its

Designation to Interstate 72: Since our last get meeting in May 2014, the Summit has added one more priority – the designation of U.S. 36 in Missouri, from U.S. 61 west to U.S. 24, needs to be upgraded to Interstate 72 because it now meets Interstate standards. This should be a relatively easy upgrade with potentially significant economic benefits to the Hannibal area. This request has been submitted to MoDOT and appears to have been favorably received. It will require FHWA approval. The Summit fully supports the designation of U.S. 36 to I-72 at Hannibal as being in the region’s best interest.

US54 Bridge over the Mississippi River: Since our last Summit, we are pleased to report that one of our priorities has been fully funded. The U.S. 54 Bridge over the Mississippi River (Champ Clark Bridge) at Louisiana has been awarded Federal TIGER-funds of $10 million. This project is expected to cost about $60 million. The remainder of the funding is to be split evenly between the states of Missouri and Illinois. The new bridge is scheduled to open November 2019.

US63 - Jefferson City, MO to Des Moines, IA - Corridor of

the Capitols: No work is going on with U.S. 63 from Jefferson City to Des Moines, designated as the Corridor of the Capitols. The Corridor of the Capitols Group continues to be active. Iowa DOT has shown interest in extending 4-lanes south from Ottumwa to the Missouri border, when Missouri shows a similar interest in extending the highway north from Kirksville as a 4-lane corridor. An important part of this corridor is the bypass of Macon. It needs to be programmed, planned and built. This entire Highway 63 corridor remains an important priority of the Summit.

US54 – Mexico, MO to Points North & East - Highway 54

Coalition: The Summit is pleased to welcome the Highway 54 Coalition into the Summit region, along with the addition of Audrain County, MO, which has a population of over 25,000 – bringing the total population of the Summit region to over 700,000. We have long shared this group’s priority for the multi-lane improvement of U.S. 54 north and east of Mexico. In addition, we hope to have MO 19 built four lanes from the Avenue of the Saints at New London, MO, to join U.S. 54 to connect southbound travelers on the Avenue of the Saints with the Summit’s designated South-West Gateway Corridor (SWGC) and I-44 at Lebanon, as discussed below.

South-West Gateway Corridor: The South-West Gateway Corridor, another major Summit priority, is extremely important as a corridor connecting this region with I-70

Page 6: 2016 TASK FORCE REPORTS - Tristate of Mindtristateofmind.com/.../2016-Tri-State-Task-Force-Reports.pdf · 2016-12-13 · 2016 TASK FORCE REPORT TRANSPORTATION There has been some

2016 TASK FORCE REPORT TRANSPORTATION

and I-44 west without driving to St. Louis. The SWGC will have a significant economic impact on the Summit area. When completed, including a bypass of Lebanon, it will also connect important traffic generators, Mark Twain Lake and Lake of the Ozarks, to the region with up-to-date, modern, safe, multi-lane access. The Highway 54 Coalition has worked tirelessly promoting this as a four-lane corridor with MoDOT, as well as with county and state officials. The Summit supports these efforts and continues to encourage MoDOT to build 4-lane expressways and interstates on all Tri-State Summit’s priority highway routes, instead of shared three-lane projects which have been built and proposed on this corridor recently.

Missouri Transportation Funding: No discussion of highway improvements in Missouri can be addressed without recognizing the serious underfunding of transportation in the state. With New Jersey just passing a 23-cent-per-gallon increase effective Nov. 1, 2016, Missouri has the fourth-lowest gas tax in the nation. In three of the last four sessions, the Missouri Legislature has failed to pass any increase in Missouri transportation funding, despite the dire shortage of funds necessary to maintain and build the state’s transportation infrastructure. To continue to fail to keep up and improve Missouri’s 34,000 miles of roadways, the seventh-largest highway system in America, will not only be more costly in the future, but will completely stall the economy so critical for Missouri’s future. The Tri-State Development Summit is urging an increased funding for Missouri’s transportation system. It is imperative that the legislature, the governor and Missouri Voters make adequate transportation funding their highest priority.

FederalFAST ACT: America’s Surface Transportation Act, or “FAST Act,” was enacted in December 2015. It provides $305 billion of federal funding for transportation over five years, well under the amount needed nationwide. The Summit region now has remaining unfunded highway priorities of 366 miles. If we assume that the average cost per mile is $10 million, we will need about $3.66 billion to complete these highway priority projects. The federal gas tax has not been raised since 1989, and the source of transportation funding in the nation must be addressed.

WATERWAYS Waterways UpdateThe Upper Mississippi now has official designation as the M-35 Marine Highway which brings additional technical assistance and attention to the Mississippi extending all the way to Minneapolis. However there are concerns about the stability of the river infrastructure on both the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers.

The economic prosperity and quality of life within the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) region depend upon the river’s

continuing viability as a rich and diverse ecosystem, a commercial transportation system, a source of water supply, and a recreational resource. The preliminary results of an UMR Economic Profile illustrate the river system directly supports nine key economic sectors. The nine economic sectors are interrelated in a variety of ways, and the overall health of the regional and national economy depends on each sector thriving. In addition, a healthy river ecosystem allows each of these sectors to thrive. The region’s history of inter-agency partnership, sustainability practices and multi-purpose use has proven beneficial and is critical to sustaining and enhancing the river’s many economic, ecosystem, and social values well into the future. Economic sectors in the UMR corridor generate more than $345 billion annually, supporting over 1 million jobs. Manufacturing, tourism and agriculture account for over 95 percent of the total UMR corridor revenue within the 133-county corridor, supporting 92 percent of total employment. Tourism and outdoor recreation support more than 420,000 jobs.

Recently, USDA released estimates of the economic implications to the agriculture sector should a disruption occur at either L&D 25 on the Upper Miss or La Grange L&D on the Illinois Waterway. The University of Tennessee recently completed a study regarding disruptions to freight movements due to lock closures. Among several important findings, the report concludes that a L&D 25 closure could result in a loss of more than 7,000 jobs, $1.3 billion of labor income, and about $2.4 billion of economic activity (total industry output) annually. Similarly, closing La Grange L&D on the Illinois could result in a reduction of 5,500 jobs, $900 million of labor income, and $1.8 billion of economic activity annually. Given the projections of significant increase in barge traffic in both the bulk commodity category and in future container on barge opportunities the lock and dam infrastructure is critical.

In the Tri-State region the establishment of a new river terminal just below Lock and Dam 21 remains a key initiative. During 2016 the Mid America Intermodal Authority Port District and the Great River Economic Development Foundation retained the services of Ann Schneider Consulting to move the project from conception to construction. Grant requests under the TIGER program and the newly enacted FAST Act were unsuccessful. Following that outcome, the MAIAPD working with Klingner and Associates revised the scope of the project to reduce the initial investment required to get a working port. Interest in the port by a number of regional manufacturers continues to be strong and the long term economic impact on the region is a driving factor in the project. The MAIAPD continues to explore other sources of funding to enable the planning, engineering, environmental assessment and wetland mitigation be completed so that construction can be expedited.

Respectfully submitted Nov. 18, 2016 Tom Boland Chairman, Pat Poepping, Tom Oakley, Dan Wiedemeier,

and Marcel Wagner Committee Members

Page 7: 2016 TASK FORCE REPORTS - Tristate of Mindtristateofmind.com/.../2016-Tri-State-Task-Force-Reports.pdf · 2016-12-13 · 2016 TASK FORCE REPORT TRANSPORTATION There has been some

HOTEL ROOMS 6,569

1,9733,1911,405

IOWAILLINOISMISSOURI

TOURISM FACTS IOWA ILLINOIS MISSOURI T R I - S T A T E T O T A L S

HISTORIC SITES 194

64 73 57

IOWAILLINOISMISSOURI

RESTAURANTS 556

159 261

136

IOWAILLINOISMISSOURI

WINERIES 18

6 7 5

IOWAILLINOISMISSOURI

GOLF HOLES 621

144 378 99

IOWAILLINOISMISSOURI

LOCALLY OWNED

Illinois’ oldest winery, family owned & operated since 1858

BA

XT

ER

’S W

INE

RY

NA

UV

OO

IL

WE

ST

VIE

W G

OLF

QU

INC

Y IL

Historic Downtown Hannibal

SN

AK

E A

LLE

YB

UR

LIN

GTO

N IA

Built in 1838 on the square in Pittsfi eld, IL & frequented by Lincoln W

ILL

IAM

WA

TS

ON

H

OT

EL

Quincy’s 27-hole public course, established 1946

ECONOMIC IMPACT OF TOURISM3 - S T A T E S U M M I T R E G I O N

$955.73 MILLION IN VISITOR EXPENDITURES

10,886 JOBS IN TOURISM

The “Crookedest Street in the World” according to Ripley’s Believe It or

Not...constructed 1894