Eddyville Industrial Park Develops Premier Rail Served Site

EDDYVILLE, Kentucky (June 21, 2022) – A new 80-acre development project planned for the Eddyville Industrial Park will enhance its potential and the community’s growth opportunities. The development includes constructing a new park entrance off US-62, abolishing Industrial Park Road that bisects the site, grading, and construction of a stormwater retention basin. The project will be funded in part through a $172,560 Opportunity Kentucky Grant from Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company (LG&E and KU).
 
The Opportunity Kentucky Grant is another big achievement in developing this park as a premier transit site in Kentucky. The site has rail service through Paducah and Louisville Railroad, interstate access to both Interstates 69 and 24, and water access to the Eddyville Riverport. 
 
“We believe the key to creating a business-friendly climate is providing reliable energy, at competitive rates and with a focus on customers, and empowering customers with a variety of programs and offerings that help meet their energy needs and sustainability goals,” said John Bevington, director of Business and Economic Development for LG&E and KU. “Our Opportunity Kentucky Grant program helps encourage proactive planning and investment, and collaboration among Kentucky economic developers and stakeholders ― just as we’re seeing take place right here in Eddyville.” 
 
The Eddyville Riverport and Industrial Development Authority (“ERIDA”) and Lake Barkley Partnership have been focused on making improvements to the Eddyville Industrial Park since 2019 during the development of a Master Plan for both the Riverport and Industrial Park. Improvements at the Eddyville Industrial Park have been continuous since 2020, including: upgrades to the on-site sewer lift station from the City of Eddyville; a new turn lane constructed by Kentucky Transportation Cabinet from US-62 into the Industrial Park; infrastructure investment for the expansion of BGB Trucking; completion of environmental due diligence; developing additional sites through the Kentucky Product Development Initiative; and engineering work on future park expansions.
 
Billy Ray Coursey, board chair of Eddyville Riverport and Industrial Development Authority, said the investment into the rail served site is the fruition of a lot of planning and serious thought into the vision of the park. 

“The Opportunity Kentucky Grant and investment in the rail site comes after evaluating the greatest potential of the industrial park. Not many communities, especially communities as small as us, have a rail site less than a mile from an interstate,” said Coursey “Thanks to our team with the ERIDA Board, Will McDowell with LG&E and KU’s Economic Development team, and Amanda Davenport with the Lake Barkley Partnership, we are able to help fulfill our vision of having a premier site in our community.” 

Amanda Davenport, Lake Barkley Partnership executive director, said large scale investment from LG&E and KU shows the strength of collaboration between community partners.  

“Working with ERIDA and LG&E and KU has been a very beneficial partnership for our region,” Davenport said. “The expertise from LG&E and KU project managers and leadership from ERIDA have manifested in a site that can attract transformative projects for our community and our workforce.”
 
The new Eddyville Industrial Park development is one of several site development projects being supported across the Commonwealth through LG&E and KU’s Opportunity Kentucky Grant initiatives. The Opportunity Kentucky Grant will allow Eddyville to compete for larger projects and continue to attract long term investment and growth to our community.