BID Announcement: Barge Loading Terminal Improvements | P20-HRBR-01W1

Bid Name: P20-HRBR-01W1 (ACP 5 White Dock Terminal Marine Improvements)

Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting: Wednesday, September 3, 2025 | 1:00 PM (local time)

Bids Due: Tuesday, October 7, 2025 | 11:00 AM Local Time to America's Central Port, located at 1635 West 1st Street, Granite City, IL 62040.

Project Scope:

This is an EPC project to replace barge loading structures at the Granite City Harbor White Dock facility. The scope of work will be contained to the cellular structure and two mooring dolphins.

The Site is located on the east bank of the Chain of Rocks Canal, accessible via the

Mississippi River in Granite City, IL. The site's location is shown below.

Bid Packet Documents:

P20-HRBR-01W1 - Bid Package.pdf

Download PDF • 11.24MB

Addendum No. 00481 (Issued 09/30/2025):

P20-HRBR-01W1_00481 - Addendum No 00481_09302025.pdf

Download PDF • 1.75MB

For more information, contact:

Jake Henson, Project Manager

jake.henson@ingrambarge.com

(618) 977-0982

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To be notified about future bid opportunities, register on our Planroom page here:

americascentralport.com/planroom.

The Port Report | July 2025

Here’s what’s new at America’s Central Port.

📌 New Madison Harbor Grain Bin Nears Completion

When most people drive by a river terminal and spot a grain bin, it might seem unremarkable. However, for the Madison Harbor and its transportation partners, our new grain bin storage upgrade is a game-changer. In the past, handling agricultural products like corn and soybeans meant scheduling either truck or rail deliveries, never both at once, and always having a barge ready to transfer the product. Without on-site storage, all modes of transportation had to be perfectly synced.

With the addition of this facility, the Madison Harbor can now unload both trucks and railcars simultaneously, storing grain in the storage bin until a barge is ready for shipment. Add to this access to all six Class-I railroads via the Port's connection to the Terminal Railroad Association, and this flexibility not only improves capacity and efficiency but also gives the harbor a significant competitive edge in the bulk freight market. What looks like a simple storage bin is, in fact, key infrastructure that enables faster, more coordinated operations and opens new possibilities for our customers. (Learn more about bid opportunities.)

📌 3rd Annual Teen Summer "Build Your Future" Workshop Was A Big Success

Thanks to a grant from the Madison County Employment and Training Department, this June, America’s Central Port welcomed a new group of high school students for the 3rd annual hands-on trades workshop, a one-week immersive experience designed to ignite curiosity, teach practical skills, and inspire the next generation of trades professionals.

Structured as a 5-day program, ten individuals from area high schools, ranging from freshmen to recent graduates, met Monday to Friday from 8 am to 3 pm to gain a hands-on look at the day in the life of our Port’s maintenance team. Keep Reading

📌 Norfolk Southern Railroad Project Completed

This IDOT-funded railroad project upgraded about 1,800 feet of track serving the Granite City Harbor, including switches and connections. These improvements will allow for more efficient railcar movement for Port tenants like Apex Oil, Ingram Barge Company, and Friedman Industries, and enable the tracks to handle modern, higher-capacity 286k railcars. By rehabilitating these rail lines and turnouts, the project will help increase barge throughput and add flexibility and resiliency to the Harbor’s internal rail operations.

📌 New Lighting Improves Studio Apartment Complex

The Port manages and leases over 200 residential units, 51 of which are comprised of former U.S. Army barracks-style studio apartments. To improve the safety and security of our residents, we constructed a new parking lot, installed new sidewalks, and installed bright exterior lighting throughout the area, ensuring the entire space is well-illuminated during evening hours.

Learn more about housing options at America's Central Port here.

Build Your Future: America’s Central Port 3rd Annual Teen Summer Workshop Was A Big Success

What started as a pilot in 2023 has grown into a blueprint for promoting the trades. 

Thanks to a grant from the Madison County Employment and Training Department, this June, America’s Central Port welcomed a new group of high school students for the 3rd annual hands-on trades workshop, a one-week immersive experience designed to ignite curiosity, teach practical skills, and inspire the next generation of trades professionals.

Structured as a 5-day program, ten individuals from area high schools, ranging from freshmen to recent graduates, met Monday to Friday from 8 am to 3 pm to gain a hands-on look at the day in the life of our Port’s maintenance team. 

Limiting the program to ten students ensured personalized attention from lead instructors Darrin Jones, Jay Petras, and Brian Stahlschmidt, as well as various Port maintenance team members throughout the week.

The maintenance team at America's Central Port is cross-trained to handle multiple projects across various specializations. Because of this, the Port wanted to ensure that the hands-on activities chosen reflected the myriad of projects the Port maintenance team tackles on any given day, and more importantly, to provide participants with exposure to a wide variety of building trades opportunities. 

Project 1: Safety First

Safety isn't just a buzzword. Every day began with discussing the work ahead and challenging students to think alongside their mentor counterparts about what tools, materials, and safety requirements were needed to complete the job right, safely, on budget, and on time. Additionally, each participant was equipped with a safety pack at the start of the program, which contained work gloves and protective glasses. Additional protective gear was provided as needed. 

Project 2: Sidewalk Construction & Concrete Work

Students participated in the initial steps of constructing a sidewalk, including site preparation, tamping a rock bed, and pouring and finishing the concrete. 

Project 3: Electrical Wiring Tutorial

The Port’s maintenance shop was transformed into a hands-on electrical lab, where students worked on pre-built wall panels equipped with electrical boxes. This setup enabled them to practice real-world wiring in a controlled and safe environment. They learned how to cut and strip wire, feed it through conduit and boxes, and connect switches, outlets, and fixtures, mirroring the kind of work electricians do every day. 

Project 4: Wood Stud Wall Construction

The Port set up shop in one of its off-market commercial spaces where students could construct a wall as though they were building within a real commercial space, not just a classroom. The project included framing, basic electrical installations for lights and plugs, minor cutting and soldering of copper pipes, plumbing for a toilet and sink, and drywall installation. The project culminated in a big moment for each student: flipping the switch to power on the lights they had wired with their own hands.

Project 5: Wood Stud Wall Demolition

To provide a comprehensive experience of wall construction, the Port organized a hands-on demolition project as the final event of the week. Supervised and instructed on how to do so in a safe and controlled environment, students got to use several power tools and equipment to demo the walls they had built earlier in the week. 

Pop Up Experience: Shadow Experience On Two Residential Service Calls

As part of a special pop-up experience, students accompanied the Port’s maintenance team on two live residential service calls. The first visit offered a behind-the-scenes look at the turnover process for a recently vacated unit, everything from electrical and HVAC checks to plumbing inspections, drywall repair, and fresh paint. The second call dropped them into an in-progress plumbing fix, where they observed real-time troubleshooting and repair work. These field experiences provided students with a genuine sense of the pace, problem-solving, and variety involved in residential maintenance.

Two other activities included experiencing the use of a backhoe to dig holes and move dirt, as well as a small welding demonstration where students learned how to perform 90-degree welds.

Exposure To Other Trades

Beyond the projects facilitated for each student, America’s Central Port tenant KB Pods, which manufactures modular kitchens and bathrooms for commercial and residential construction projects, toured the students through their prefabrication facility, demonstrating how the skills they had just learned can be applied to good-paying jobs in their backyard.

The Madison County Employment & Training Department also gave a lunchtime presentation to the students regarding paid job shadow opportunities in the trades. 

Inspiring Future Success

What started as a simple introduction to the trades has grown into something far more impactful. Students left the week with marketable skills, visible confidence, and a more profound respect for hands-on work. Parents also noticed the change, sharing how their teens were waking up early, energized, and excited to "go to work" each day. For the Port’s maintenance team, the experience has become more than a mentorship opportunity; it’s a way to invest in the next generation and share pride in a craft that's often overlooked. Year after year, this program proves one thing: when you give young people access, tools, and trust, they rise to the challenge and excel.

America’s Central Port is a special-purpose unit of local government whose mission is to advance multi-modal transportation, create business expansion opportunities, and assist in job creation for the Southwest Illinois region. Home to 192 residential units, 2 million square feet of warehouse space, and a 1,200-acre river, rail, and road transportation hub, America’s Central Port is one of the leading economic advancement organizations in the Southwest Illinois region.