Milwaukee officials have started construction on a $17 million cruise ship dock at the Port of Milwaukee’s South Shore site. The new dock will be the city’s third cruise facility and its first designed to accommodate Seawaymax vessels, the largest ships that navigate the St. Lawrence Seaway.
The dock is scheduled to open in June 2026. Once complete, it will enable the port to more than double cruise traffic, with 55 vessels already scheduled for the 2026 season. In 2025, Milwaukee hosted 22 ships that generated about $2.5 million in economic impact.
Funding for the project includes $8.5 million from the state of Wisconsin and the city of Milwaukee, along with additional contributions such as a $3.5 million state tourism grant, $500,000 from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, and $5 million from the city budget.
Officials expect the facility to support more than 200 jobs and increase port revenue by at least $250,000 annually.