Greater St. Louis’ central location is within approximately 500 miles of one-third of the U.S. population and
within 1,500 miles of 90 percent of the people in North America. This location and the intersection of many different modes of transportation is a big part
of what makes St. Louis “Perfectly Centered” and “Remarkably Connected.”
AIR
Lambert - St. Louis
International Airport1
The St. Louis area’s main airport, Lambert-
St. Louis International Airport, is a national hub with two terminals, five concourses,
and 85 gates serving 20 airlines.2 In 2005, 14.7 million passengers traveled through the airport. 2006 saw an increase in passengers for the year to 15.2 million. In January 2008, the airport had approximately 490 daily direct flights to 90 destinations according to OAG.3 American Airlines has a significant presence at Lambert in addition to Southwest and other low-cost providers, making airfares competitive.
A $1 billion expansion project creating a new 9,000-foot runway, Runway 11-29, and improving capacity, was completed in 2006, minimizing delays, particularly during inclement weather. A $105 million renovation project for the main airport terminal has begun. This update will improve the look and function of all areas of the main terminal including the concourses, ticketing, security, baggage, restrooms, and concessions areas, and include a glass domed cover for the arrival and departure curb areas.4
Conveniently located in the region, Lambert is 15 minutes from downtown St. Louis and has on-site access to the newly expanded MetroLink light rail system.
Major Airlines Serving Lambert-
St. Louis International Airport
Air Canada
AirTran
America West
American
Continental
Delta
Frontier
Midwest Connect
Northwest
Southwest
United
USAirways
USA3000
MidAmerica Airport
MidAmerica Airport serves as the St. Louis Region’s second full service commercial airport and as a reliever to Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. Located in St. Clair County, Ill., it provides state-of-the-art facilities for passengers, traffic, and cargo, including an adjacent 800-acre industrial park. It has a 10,000-foot and an 8,000-foot runway and serves cargo, commercial, and military flights. Much of the area surrounding the airport is an Illinois Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District designed to help appropriate new businesses locate nearby, and the airport is pending as a Foreign Trade Zone. The MidAmerica Airport is 24 miles from downtown St. Louis, and is also served by MetroLink.
Other Airports
Spirit of St. Louis Airport, the area’s largest regional airport, is in St. Louis County. It has recently renovated its main runway and parallel taxiways. The airport is home to 476 aircraft, including 125 corporate jets.
Another large regional airport, St. Louis Downtown Airport, is just across the river from the City of St. Louis in Sauget, Ill. and provides quick access to the downtown area. It is located on a 1,013-acre site with an industrial-business park. The airport
is owned by Metro which runs Greater
St. Louis’ bus and light rail commuter system. In 2006, 156,866 flights arrived or departed from the airport.
St. Louis Regional Airport is only 25 minutes from downtown St. Louis in East Alton, Ill. and serves a diverse clientele—from corporate aircraft and general aviators to the U.S. military and regional aircraft makers. At 2,300 acres, the airport is Illinois’ fourth largest, handling an average of 80,000 operations per year.
Several other smaller regional airports are also a quick commute from the downtown area.
WATER
Situated at the confluence of the Mississippi, Missouri, and Illinois rivers, St. Louis is home to the nation’s second-largest inland port by trip ton-miles with over 25 billion trip ton-miles in 2004.7 Our position as the northernmost year-round ice-free port increases our competitive advantage. Our port is served by all major barge lines and offers more than 100 docks and terminal facilities and connects St. Louis to industrial centers in 15 states located along the Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois and Tennessee Rivers, the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico.
Tri-City Regional
Port District Statistics
Size: Located on over 1,200 acres on the Mississippi River, the port offers intermodal resources not found in other U.S. markets with access to the River’s Edge Business Park containing over 800 acres of space for distribution, warehousing and manufacturing.
Volume: The Tri-City Regional Port District serves approximately 2,500 barges annually and is served by all major barge lines.
Channel Depth: Depth varies between 10 and 45 feet, with an average depth of 32 feet.
Minimum Channel Width: 300 feet (91.4 meters)
Season: The port is the northernmost year-round ice free port on the inland waterway.
FOREIGN TRADE ZONES
The St. Louis Region has two foreign trade zone sites and four sub-zone sites located conveniently close to truck, rail and air access.
— Foreign Trade Zone No. 31 is a public/private sector venture operated by the Tri-City Regional Port District, providing 423,000 square feet of flexible warehouse/industrial space, with excellent multi-modal transportation access. FTZ 31 will soon have a total of six FTZ sites totaling nearly 8,000 acres.
— Foreign Trade Zone No. 102 is situated at the Red Arrow Corporation warehouse and distribution facility near Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. It provides 8,100 square feet of bonded warehouse space for foreign trade use.
RAIL5
Home to six Class I railroads and several smaller industrial rail lines, St. Louis is the nation’s third-largest rail center, representing a major employer locally.
Burlington Northern Santa Fe
Canadian National Railway
CSX Transportation
Kansas City Southern
Norfolk Southern
Union Pacific
Alton and Southern Railway
Central Midland Railway
Manufacturers Railway Company
Terminal Railroad
AmTrak
MetroLink
HIGHWAYS
Four interstate highways intersect the
St. Louis region.
Four interstate linkages provide further
connections for St. Louis motorists.
In addition, the “Avenue of the Saints” highway from St. Louis to St. Paul, Minnesota is nearly finished after 15 years of work. The 560 mile, four lane expressway “high-priority corridor” is scheduled for completion in 2008 further improving St. Louis’ highway access.
This level of interstate highway access supports Greater St. Louis’ position as a truck transportation center. St. Louis has well over 1,000 businesses operating in the Truck Transportation industry with over 600 in the General Freight Trucking industry.8
Interstate 64 reConstruction9
Interstate-64, is currently undergoing a $535 million reconstruction project in
St. Louis County and the City of St. Louis scheduled for completion in October of 2010. The project will replace aging bridges, improve flow, reduce noise, and improve safety through the upgrade of pavement, a new interstate to interstate connection between I-64 and I-170, the addition of traffic lanes, elimination of short entrance/exit ramps and merges, and enhanced safety with wider shoulders.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Metro operates the St. Louis Metropolitan region’s public transportation system. The Metro System includes MetroLink, the region’s light rail system; MetroBus, the region’s bus system; and Metro Call-A-Ride, a paratransit van system. Metro carried over 49.7 million passengers on MetroLink, MetroBus, and Metro Call-A-Ride vans in Fiscal Year (FY) 2006. Metro has a fleet of 432 MetroBus vehicles, 87 light rail vehicles and 119 Metro Call-A-Ride paratransit vans.
Metro has just completed an eight-mile, $676 million extension connecting the business center of Clayton as well as several inner ring suburbs. The MetroLink light rail commuter train system now encompasses 46 miles of track, 37 stations, 19 park-ride lots with 10,000 parking spaces, and 87 vehicles.
Sources |
