About the Port Milwaukee and its Capabilities
Port Milwaukee offers a commercial operational flexibility unique to the western Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway inland waterway system.
Port Milwaukee is located on the western shore of Lake Michigan at Lat. 43* 05' N, Long 87* 55' W, about seventy five miles north of the city of Chicago. The Port is 1,021 nautical miles from Montreal, Quebec with a transit time by water from Montreal of about 4.5 days.
Port Milwaukee serves as a regional transportation and distribution center with a primary market including the State of Wisconsin, northern and western Illinois (including the City of Chicago) and eastern Minnesota including Minneapolis and St. Paul. Port Milwaukee is also capable of cost effectively reaching Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri and Indiana, and the western Canadian Provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Port Milwaukee has sixteen (16) berths, each capable of handling vessels with a Seaway maximum draft of 26' 06" (8.08 meters) at normal water conditions, with a length of 1,000' ( 304.8 meters). The Port also has two dedicated barge berths with drafts in excess of 18' (5.5 meters).
The Port maintains a robust network of transportation professions within the region, including vessel and barge owners, rail operators, truckers, freight forwarders, and other beneficial owners of cargo, working together to design high quality, cost effective transportation and distribution programs for both domestic and international supply chains.
Port Milwaukee personnel are thoroughly trained and experienced transportation and distribution professionals, capable and willing to develop complete handling and transportation solutions for Port clients. We invite you to contact us via email at [email protected] with any inquiry.
Port Milwaukee is also served by two Class I railroads, the Union Pacific (UP) Railway and the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) Railway. Both UP and CPKC provide direct pier delivery at all Port facilities as well as necessary switching services on a daily basis. Port Milwaukee additionally owns and maintains 14 miles of its own rail track, providing continuous service and connectivity to UP and CPKC.
Federal Interstate Highway System I-94/794 leads directly into Port Milwaukee, assuring delay-free pickup and delivery of commodities by truck. With direct exit/entrance ramps accessing Port Milwaukee, access to the interstate from major Port terminals takes less than five (5 minutes).. Highway connections to cities within a 350-mile radius include Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Peoria, Des Moines, Moline, Indianapolis, Madison, and Green Bay, among others. Public truck scales are available in the Port.
Port Milwaukee is the sole Lake Michigan port approved to serve the Mississippi River inland waterway system with direct river barge access from the Port to the Illinois River, a vital connection between other U.S. ports on the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes region.