A lack of barges hasn’t stopped business for the St. Joseph Regional Port Authority.

The port authority expects to move into its new offices near city yards in 30 to 60 days. New signage will give the group an increased presence in the area. Scales will aid in shipping. Site preparation continues on Terra Bioenergy’s new biodiesel plant. And that’s just the next few months.

Future plans include a bridge over the railroad tracks in the South Side, which would ease traffic at the busy intersection of Alabama Avenue and U.S. Highway 59. The port authority hopes it can include a staging area for trucks in the plan.

“Especially in the fall, we need some sort of staging area so they aren’t backed up on Stockyards Expressway. It’s a safety issue,” said Steve Johnston of the St. Joseph Regional Chamber of Commerce, which works alongside the port authority.

Last week, the port authority hosted the annual summer conference for the Missouri Port Authorities Association.

David Madison, executive director of the Missouri Port Authority, was impressed with how St. Joseph’s port authority had brought in large employers like Triumph Foods. Mr. Madison lives in Caruthersville, Mo., where the port depends on barge traffic from the Mississippi River. St. Joseph doesn’t have barges, but Mr. Madison said the two had common ground.

All port authorities seek to craft incentive packages that bring big business to their community, then ask lawmakers for the last bit of funding to seal the deal. Ideally, the community offers the business a sweet enough deal that it can all but guarantee jobs if the Legislature approves funding.

“It’s easier to bet on the horse in the lead at the three-quarters pole than the one that has prospects,” Mr. Madison said.

Smaller requests for funding do not always smooth the way to legislative approval. Politicians who seek to put their stamp on a new factory sometimes balk when told that they’ll only get credit for the access road.

The lack of barge traffic is a constant concern for ports like St. Joseph’s on the Missouri River. In recent years, droughts in the river’s upper watershed have led to less water being released downstream. As a result, the Army Corps of Engineers cannot guarantee a steady flow of water between St. Louis and the Gavins Point Dam at the Nebraska-South Dakota border.

“When they first built that dam, it was supposed to be for water supply. Now they’re holding back water for recreation,” Mr. Madison said.

As for the fight to restore barge traffic on the Missouri River?

“Right now, there’s no end in sight.”

Business reporter Clinton Thomas can be reached at clintonthomas@npgco.com.