The port opened in 1940 and expanded operations over time. It is currently lacking infrastructure needed to handle international containerized cargo.
The current $16 million redevelopment plan calls for three major improvements:
Construction of a second wharf to handle and inspect larger international cargo under U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection policies.
Construction of a readiness slip for the port’s tugboat and for emergency boats used by the U.S. Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, and the city of Monroe.
Improvements to the turning basin, a large area where freighters can turn around and where the port receives liquid asphalt.
The second wharf and the turning basin improvements will require dredging, which is where the EGLE grant comes into play. Sediment is contaminated with metals left over from more than 100 years of heavy industrial activity along the River Raisin. Grant money will be used to help cover the cost of properly transporting and disposing of contaminated sediment.
Additional project funding is coming from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the State of Michigan, and the Monroe County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority. The improvements will make the Port of Monroe the first maritime container terminal in Michigan. A study of the previous improvement project completed at the port in 2017 found that it spurred more than $6 million in economic activity in the first year and the creation of more than 700 jobs. The port’s owner believes the new project’s impact will meet or exceed that of the 2017 work. Grant-funded work is expected to be finished by the fall of 2026.
More than half of EGLE’s annual budget supports local projects, protects public health and the environment, and helps create economic growth and jobs for Michigan workers. Redevelopment increases the value of brownfield sites and other nearby properties. In 2024 EGLE awarded $25.1 million in brownfield incentives to 87 projects around Michigan.
