The Freightway

A 60-mile stretch of Illinois (IL) Route 3 generates $16 billion in annual business revenue and supports 221,881 direct and indirect jobs, according to a new economic impact study commissioned by the St. Louis Regional Freightway. The Route 3 corridor in southwestern Illinois is parallel to St. Louis, Missouri along the Mississippi River and Interstate 255, and goes from Waterloo, Illinois, in the south to Godfrey Illinois, to the north. It is gaining recognition as a premiere heavy industry and warehousing corridor with distinct advantages over other areas around the country, such as the percentage of the direct jobs in manufacturing, transportation and warehousing that greatly eclipse the regional and national averages for jobs in those sectors.

The post FreightWeekSTL: New Study Reveals Illinois Route 3 Near St. Louis Is Positioned as a Nationally Significant Heavy Industrial Corridor appeared first on St. Louis Regional Freightway.

The St. Louis region’s industrial real estate market continues to rise to meet the demand for modern bulk and manufacturing spaces with record levels of construction. The annual report released by the St. Louis Regional Freightway reveals the southwestern Illinois and eastern Missouri region has nearly 8 million square feet (MSF) of modern bulk buildings under construction and is well positioned to meet the current and growing needs of distributors and developers. The level of speculative development in the region also is indicative of the strength and value of the market, as is the growing number of major national institutional grade owners with a presence in the region.

The post FreightWeekSTL: Modern Bulk Distribution Buildings Under Construction in the St. Louis Region Hit Historic High, Approaching 8 Million Square Feet appeared first on St. Louis Regional Freightway.

The long range vision of a reconstructed, higher capacity Interstate 70 (I-70) between Kansas City and the St. Louis area is coming into sharper focus thanks to a new partnership between Kansas City SmartPort and the St. Louis Regional Freightway. The two organizations have just signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to demonstrate their commitment to support improvements to Missouri’s east-west statewide I-70 corridor which is vital to the global supply chains for many industries. A catalyst for the new collaboration is the inclusion of a financial placeholder for the reconstruction of and added capacity on I-70 among the Missouri Department of Transportation's recently released High Priority Unfunded Needs.

The post FreightWeekSTL: New Partnership Between Kansas City and the St. Louis Region Supports Interstate 70 Corridor Improvements appeared first on St. Louis Regional Freightway.

The St. Louis Regional Freightway’s 2023 Priority Projects List includes 25 projects representing a total investment of more than $3.8 billion, up from $2.75 billion last year. More than $2 billion of the total covers infrastructure projects that have recently been completed, are already funded and under construction or expected to start in 2022 and 2023, or are programmed to begin within the next few years. The list, which represents the infrastructure needs of the manufacturing and logistics industries in the Eastern Missouri and Southwestern Illinois area, indicates tremendous progress on a range of projects that will strengthen critical roads, bridges, rail infrastructure, and port and airport facilities across the bi-state St. Louis region.

The post FreightWeekSTL: St. Louis Regional Freightway’s 2023 Priority Projects List Totals $3.8 Billion appeared first on St. Louis Regional Freightway.

More than a half a billion dollars in recent, current or expected improvements at three Midwestern ports will strengthen these facilities and reinforce their important roles in the global freight network. The significant investments at Port KC, America’s Central Port, and Kaskaskia Regional Port District, along with new infrastructure funding recently secured, will spur an increase in barge services and deliver cost efficiencies that drive profitability for the industry. Port KC is located on the Missouri River. America’s Central Port is on the Mississippi River and the Kaskaskia Regional Port District serves both the Mississippi and Kaskaskia Rivers.

The post FreightWeekSTL: Major Infrastructure Investments Strengthen Midwest Ports, Boost Capacity and Increase Profitability for the Barge Industry appeared first on St. Louis Regional Freightway.

An unprecedented disruption in the global supply chain due to the COVID-19 pandemic is still having a major impact on many U.S. industries. Freight rail has had to adapt daily over the last two years to keep goods moving, and Union Pacific Railroad is taking its lessons learned, investing in adding more capacity and committing to moving more intermodal freight. That commitment includes investing $600 million of capital in 2022 alone as the company works to add more than one million lifts to the intermodal franchise and ramps up hiring so resources match demand. The various ways that Union Pacific continues to adapt and invest to keep freight moving were the focus of one of the panel discussions during FreightWeekSTL 2022.

The post FreightWeekSTL: Union Pacific Railroad Continues to Adapt and Invest to Keep Freight Moving appeared first on St. Louis Regional Freightway.

This article originally ran in the Waterways Journal Weekly on May 20, 2022.  Local general contractor Alberici Constructors Inc. expected to wait years to bid for the Mississippi River dam project in Winfield. But thanks to the $1 trillion federal infrastructure deal, the Army Corps of Engineers moved the upgrade of Lock and Dam 25 to 2022. The project is a […]

The post Jefferson County Port Gets $25 Million State Grant For Container Facility appeared first on St. Louis Regional Freightway.

The St. Louis region will become part of one of the world’s most comprehensive port networks when the development team that includes APM Terminals opens a planned Container-on-Vessel (COV) port south of St. Louis, Missouri, in the Herculaneum area. APM Terminals serves 10,000 customers around the world, moving products through 76 terminals in its global network. APM Terminals will be working to line up shippers to use the new port and will also be the operator of a planned container terminal and intermodal rail facility at Plaquemines Port, Harbor and Terminal District, located south of New Orleans. These two ports will be critical hubs on a new, all-water, north-south trade lane connecting the Midwest and the St. Louis region to the lower Mississippi River and on to worldwide destinations. The APM Terminal development project was the focus of the May 24th FreightWeekSTL 2022 session.

The post FreightWeekSTL: St. Louis Region Poised to Join One of the World’s Most Comprehensive Port Networks appeared first on St. Louis Regional Freightway.

The collaborative effort to launch the first of its kind patented Container-on-Vessel (COV) service to the Midwest continues to make great progress, with several key milestones being reached in recent weeks. Work is already getting underway to prepare for the safe debut of the patented vessels, which will operate on a new, all-water, north-south trade lane connecting the St. Louis region to the lower Mississippi River and on to worldwide destinations.

The post FreightWeekSTL: Maritime Industry Begins Preparations for Future Launch of Container-on-vessel Service to the Midwest appeared first on St. Louis Regional Freightway.

FreightWeekSTL 2022 kicked off May 23 with Innovation Day, featuring emerging technologies that have the potential to dramatically change the future movement of freight. The opening session highlighted the advancements being made by St. Louis start-up Intramotev Autonomous Rail. Those in attendance learned about an autonomous, zero-emissions railcar that would be able to operate without the use of a locomotive. That new technology could enable better use of the U.S. freight rail network and help mitigate the type of supply chain challenges occurring around the globe, while reducing pollution in the rail industry.

The post FreightWeekSTL: St. Louis-based Tech Start-up Aims to Help Make Railroads Competitive for the Next 200 Years Through New Autonomous Railcars appeared first on St. Louis Regional Freightway.

This article originally ran on StlToday.com on May 19, 2022.  Local general contractor Alberici Constructors Inc. expected to wait years to bid for the Mississippi River dam project in Winfield. But thanks to the $1 trillion federal infrastructure deal, the Army Corps of Engineers moved the upgrade of Lock and Dam 25 to 2022. The project is a trickle of what […]

The post New roads, new dams: St. Louis gears up for massive federal investment appeared first on St. Louis Regional Freightway.

What will transportation in the St. Louis region look like in 2050? Now is your chance to help East-West Gateway Council of Governments (EWG) prioritize future transportation investments. The region is updating our Long-Range Transportation Plan. Take a brief survey to provide your input and ideas for how transportation should evolve in the next 25 years! For any questions about the survey, contact staff […]

The post Connected 2050: Weigh in on the Future of Transportation in the Region appeared first on St. Louis Regional Freightway.

FreightWeekSTL returns May 23 through May 27 as a virtual event featuring seven engaging discussions focused on the latest trends and innovations influencing worldwide freight movement and highlighting the global access available from the St. Louis bi-state region.

The post FreightWeekSTL Returns in Virtual Format for 2022 appeared first on St. Louis Regional Freightway.

  This article originally ran in the Illinois Business Journal on May 3, 2022.  Illinois Route 3 from Alton to Columbia, Ill., is the backbone of a 60-mile-long corridor supporting the manufacturing and logistics industries in Southwestern Illinois running parallel to St. Louis along the Mississippi River and Interstate 255. It is a corridor that is economically impactful and successful, […]

The post Route 3 is a Nationally Significant Heavy Industrial Corridor appeared first on St. Louis Regional Freightway.

The Metro East Levee System, which consists of five levees in Madison, St. Clair, and Monroe Counties, has been given its final letter of accreditation from FEMA for the 100-year level. In August of 2007, FEMA announced its intention to de-accredit the levees, which protect 156,000 residents and more than 4,000 businesses. Based on past funding, it was estimated that […]

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The Missouri Department of Transportation is currently accepting applications for its FY2023 Freight Enhancement (FRE) program through June 3, 2022. MoDOT’s Freight Enhancement Program is focused on improving and maintaining the high priority freight assets and corridors that are critical to the movement of freight through Missouri. This program is based on partnerships with freight stakeholders and public officials to […]

The post MoDOT Accepting Applications for Freight Enhancement Program Until June 3 appeared first on St. Louis Regional Freightway.

This article originally ran in The Telegraph on April 20, 2022.  A public meeting to discuss the proposed replacement of the Interstate 270 Chain of Rocks Bridge and related changes near Riverfront Drive in Missouri is set for May 4 in Granite City. The bridge replacement and Riverfront Drive improvements are a part of a larger project by the Illinois […]

The post Public Meeting on May 4 for I-270 Bridge Replacement, Riverview Drive Modifications appeared first on St. Louis Regional Freightway.

This article originally ran in the St. Louis Business Journal on April 20, 2022.  Toyota said Tuesday it will invest $109 million in its cylinder-head plant in Troy, Missouri. The money will fund new equipment to build four-cylinder engine heads on three production lines, the company said. The 550,000-square-foot plant, in Lincoln County, currently has the capacity to annually build over […]

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This article originally ran in the Illinois Business Journal in April 2022.  Efforts continue to boost supply chain management jobs in Southwestern Illinois with officials repeating their call for participation in a unique training program. Since it was rolled out last year, the program done cooperatively between Madison and St. Clair counties and four higher education institutions has gotten good feedback […]

The post Illinois Business Journal: Supply chain training program seeks participants in Metro East appeared first on St. Louis Regional Freightway.

This article originally ran in the Waterways Journal on April 15, 2022.  In March 2021, American Commercial Barge Line’s Western Terminal, also known as the Hall Street facility, temporarily warm idled. Today, it is back up and transloading Powder River Basin coal from rail to barge. ACBL’s Western Terminal operations went on a temporary warm idle as the company re-evaluated its strategic […]

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