The St. Louis region strengthened its position as a national and global freight hub in 2024 with the advancement of significant regional infrastructure projects and the launch of several new initiatives. The St. Louis Regional Freightway compiled a summary of some of the most significant developments and milestones during the past year that enhanced the region’s freight infrastructure, expanded its industrial site offerings or set the stage for workforce expansion to meet future needs.
“Recent investments and endeavors enhance the future competitiveness and connectivity of the bi-state St. Louis region and support future growth, particularly in targeted industry sectors such as aerospace, where this region already has distinct advantages,” said Mary Lamie, Executive Vice President of Multimodal Enterprises at Bi-State Development and head of the St. Louis Regional Freightway.
One significant infrastructure project advancing is the $496 million Chain of Rocks Bridge over the Mississippi River. It reached a key milestone in December as the first new span of the new bridge structure was completed. This marked the midway point of construction on the project that is a collaborative effort by both the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Missouri Department of Transportation. The St. Louis Regional Freightway has identified replacement of the Chain of Rocks Bridge among the highest priority freight infrastructure projects for the past several years and helped to garner widespread support based on connectivity to other modes of transportation and the global access it provides to shippers and carriers. The bridge is part of a regional plan to improve a 22-mile section of Interstate 270 (I-270) from James S. McDonnell Boulevard in Missouri to Route 157 in Illinois. To date, more than $1 billion in funding has been secured for this corridor for construction and partial design of new interchanges, additional traffic lanes and other interchange improvements, with some of that work already completed, and other elements, such as the I-270 Riverview Interchange project, progressing in tandem with the Chain of Rocks Bridge work.
Other projects identified as priorities on the latest Priority Projects List released in May by the St. Louis Regional Freightway also moved forward in 2024. Among these are the Illinois Route 111 Interchange, the Illinois Route 3 Connector in Fairmont City/East St. Louis and the relocation of Illinois 158 (Air Mobility Drive) from Route 161 to Route 177. Improvements are also currently underway to Interstate 55 (I-55) from Route Z to U.S. Route 67 in Jefferson County, Missouri, and more than $550 million in improvements to Interstate 70 (I-70) between Wentzville and Warrenton are funded and should be underway in early 2025. In all, $2.3 billion in projects are funded and more than $500 million in projects have already been delivered.
“We’re thrilled with the progress on our priority projects in 2024 and are looking forward to a sustained period of significant infrastructure investment for our region,” Lamie said.
The St. Louis Regional Freightway also shared in early 2024 that the ports in the St. Louis metropolitan area collectively remained the most efficient inland port district in the nation in terms of tons moved per river mile. The ranking was confirmed in an independent report by S&P Global Commodity Insights analyzing U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s data to determine how the St. Louis Metro Ports ranked relative to other inland ports in the nation. Their analysis revealed that, in 2021 – the most recent year for which data was available – the St. Louis region’s barge industry handled 427,000 tons per mile, while the average tons per mile across the other seven inland port districts was 104,014. Essentially, the St. Louis Metro Ports moved more than four times the average tons per mile, as compared to the other seven inland port districts in the U.S.
2024 also saw the continuation of the collaborative effort between the St. Louis Regional Freightway, the St. Louis region’s Class I railroads, economic development organizations, brokers and bi-state business leaders to grow and market the pipeline of rail-accessible industrial real estate sites. Four additional properties were added to the pipeline this past year, including a new Intermodal Port Site in Herculaneum, Missouri, and Admiral Parkway, Forest Boulevard, and Granite City Buildings and Land, all in southwestern Illinois. They bring the total number of rail-served sites in the pipeline to 20, spread across 16 locations. These sites all feature heavy industrial user zoning ready for developers to take advantage of the region’s global connectivity with access to all six Class 1 railroads and rail infrastructure that is constantly being improved. The four new site locations offer almost 1,500 acres combined.
“Continued investments support the unparalleled rail service available in the St. Louis region, providing access to all corners of the country without interchange,” said Brent Wood, President of Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis (TRRA) and chair of the St. Louis Regional Freightway’s Freight Development Committee. “Companies taking advantage of these sites are served by six fully functioning rail terminals and all six Class I railroads and benefit from the cooperative and local carrier ownership of key rail routes.”
These advantages for shippers and carriers were also front and center during FreightWeekSTL, which was held May 20 through May 24. The event has been presented by the St. Louis Regional Freightway for seven consecutive years. It delivered a wealth of information and engaging discussions on the new innovations, investments and collaborations shaping the freight and logistics industries. The St. Louis region’s role in many of the highlighted initiatives was woven through the FreightWeekSTL content, underscoring the global access from a strategic location that is advancing this region as a logistics and manufacturing hub primed for continued growth.
The week-long conference also featured the release of the latest St. Louis Regional Industrial Real Estate Market Indicators & Workforce Report. The report revealed that, among comparable markets in the Midwest, the St. Louis region in 2024 had the highest square footage available for distribution space, with nearly 6 million square feet ready to be occupied at one of the lowest average asking rents. The trained workforce needed to support operations for those taking advantage of the available space also is present, with a higher number of production and transportation and material moving workers in the St. Louis region than in several Midwest peer cities. Skilled workforce availability also is helping to drive continuing investment across four target industry sectors identified as key drivers of growth in the bi-state region, as detailed in the report.
The four targeted industries include Metals, Advanced Manufacturing, Food and AgTech and Chemicals. These legacy industry sectors are poised for continued innovation, job creation and economic diversification, in part due to the region’s exceptional logistics and transportation assets and established talent pipelines. The St. Louis Regional Freightway has captured key data about each of these sectors – and the investments they are attracting – on its website and is engaged in a new initiative to help support continued growth in these vibrant industries. The website highlights expansions by several companies that are collectively adding hundreds of employees while retaining thousands more.
Many of those jobs are in the region’s growing aerospace industry. That growth prompted the St. Louis Regional Freightway to launch a new task force in collaboration with the region’s five busiest airports, leading employers in the aerospace manufacturing and service sector and other leaders in education and workforce training. The launch is in response to more than $5 billion in planned investments that are creating urgent demand for workers to fill an estimated 1,000 new positions in the region. The new St. Louis Regional Aerospace and Aviation Task Force is providing a platform to share industry-related information and details about educational and training programs and events. This collaborative effort will support and elevate the continued growth of the region’s aerospace manufacturing and aviation industries, with a key focus on expanding the talent pipeline.
The five participating airports are St. Louis Lambert International Airport and Spirit of St. Louis Airport in eastern Missouri, and MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, St. Louis Downtown Airport and St. Louis Regional Airport in southwestern Illinois. Together these airports and their tenants employ a combined 36,500 workers, and the combined economic impact surpasses $10 billion. These numbers are expected to grow as leading companies such as Boeing, Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., and West Star Aviation continue to expand their workforce in the St. Louis region. Leaders from all three aerospace companies are among the industry representatives on the new task force, as are leaders from area high schools and colleges, economic development agencies, workforce development organizations, municipalities and professional organizations.
Growth of the aerospace sector was also the focus of the St. Louis Regional Freightway’s third annual Take Flight Forum on Nov. 8, which brought together representatives from some of the region’s most significant aerospace manufacturing and service companies and the higher education institutions they are partnering with. The featured panelists were joined by a current student in the Boeing Pre-Employment Program at St. Louis Community College and a recent graduate of the West Star Aviation Academy, which was launched in January 2024. Attendees learned how both programs are providing a direct pipeline to good careers.
“As we celebrate all of the accomplishments of 2024 and observe the ever-evolving global supply chains, the St. Louis Regional Freightway and our many partners look forward to continuing to elevate this region’s standing as a resilient, world-class freight and industrial hub with the capacity to deliver,” Lamie said.
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