b'AUGUST 2025MIDWEST PORTS 19(CHESScontinued from page 18) Davis Street Ferry Road Interchange.lion beef processing plant in Warren92,863.Essentially,theSt.Louis atopconcern.Fundedat$496mil- The $121.4 million project, which isCounty that will employ 1,300 work- MetroPortscollectivelymoved lion, this joint project between IDOTcurrentlyonlypartiallyfunded,willers once it reaches full capacity almost four times the average tons per and MoDOT is replacing the existingcreate a new interchange and connect- St.LouisRegionalFreightwaysmile, as compared to the other eight structure and expanding it from fouring roadways near the Union Pacificstrategic approach to marketing indus- inland port districts in the U.S. lanes to six lanes with shoulders andIntermodal Yard. trialrealestatesites,whichhelpedEfficiencyofthisnatureis alsoincludesreconstructionoftheMoDOTDistrictEngineerTomattractAvinaCleanHydrogensimportant to shippers looking for the RiverviewInterchangeontheMis- Blair detailed the nearly $1.2 billionplanned $820 million investment in amost efficient and affordable way to souri side of the Mississippi River.investment being made on I-70 fromsustainable aviation fuel facilitymove goods, Lamie said. It is important to note that this isWarrenton to the Stan Musial Veter- Releaseofthe2025St.LouisDan Lester, SVP, Business Devel-a key segment in the 24-mile, I-270ansMemorialBridge.HesaidtheRegionalIndustrialRealEstateopmentfortheInfrastructureGroup corridor stretching from Interstate 70stretch from Warrenton to WentzvilleMarket Indicators & Workforce Sta- at Ingram Marine, said that efficiency in Missouri to IL Rte. 157one of theisunderconstruction,andat$634tisticsReport,whichreportedfromisincreasinglyimportantintodays mostimportantregionalfreightcor- million, it is the largest single project2020 to 2025, the GDP of the regionsenvironmentwhenbargesarevery ridors,saidLoraRensing,Directorin MoDOTs history. He also sharedmanufacturing and distribution indus- expensive to build, and the number of of Highways Project Implementationdetails of a project new to the Prioritytries grew by 33 percentexisting barges being retired contin-and Chief Engineer for IDOT. It is onProjects List for this yearInterstateGia Biagi, newly confirmed Sec- ues to increase. Ingram operates eight track for completion around the end44 Improvements from the Oklahomaretary of IDOT, delivered a compel- facilities along the Missouri and Illi-of 2025.State Line through Franklin County,lingkeynotethatemphasizedthenois banks of the Mississippi River in ShehighlightedtheILRte.3Mo. The project includes an estimatedimportanceofinfrastructureinvest- the St. Louis region. Relocation project, a $305.5 million$200millioninpartiallyfundedment and cross-border collaboration.Howdoyouincreasecapacity investmentforfourlanesfromtheimprovements to I-44 in the St. LouisHer remarks were complemented bywithoutspendingadditionalcapital? RiverParkConnectortoMonsantoregion.HenotedthatI-44actuallyavideoaddressfromEdHassinger,You move to the more efficient opera-Ave.Theproject,whichisfunded,carries more freight than I-70, under- Director MoDOT, who discussed bi- tions like St. Louis. For us to be able willdecreasecongestion,improvescoring the importance of the project.state cooperation to operate efficiently and create more safety, address clearance issues, andThe 2026 Priority Projects revealEarlierthisyear,datafromcapacity for our customers, we want better accommodate truck and freightcame at the annual FreightWeekSTL intheU.S.ArmyCorpsofEngineersto see product moving to areas where movements. She also touched on theearly June. For the 7 thconsecutive year,(USACE) ranked the St. Louis regionwe can get them to a dock, unloaded significanceoftheIllinoisRoute3Lamie said the event delivered a weekas the most efficient inland port dis- and reloaded as quickly as possible, Connectorproject,whichaimstofull of engaging conversations on inno- trict in the United States and Lamiesaid Lester. The value of the St. Louis improve traffic flow, travel time con- vation, investments and collaboration,saidtheUSACEdesignationonlyregion is based on efficiency. When sistency and network connectivity.with much of the discussion reinforc- confirms the St. Louis region is homeyou combine that with the infrastruc-The$102millionprojectising the St. Louis regions continuingto the most efficient inland port dis- tureimprovementsweredoingon funded and features new constructionrole as a global logistics hub.trict in the nation based on tons movedour docks, it creates great opportuni-of 1.4 miles from Collinsville Rd. toAmongthehighlightsfromthisper river mile in 2022, the most recentties for all shippers either north bound IL Rte. 3/203. Its goals also includeyears conference: year numbers are available.to St. Louis or south to the Gulf. Add improvingaccessibilitywithintheIngramMarineGroupsplantoIn2022,theSt.Louisregionsin the fact that 35 barge tows can go project area and eliminating relianceinvest $50 million in its St. Louis areabarge industry handled 369,309 tonsall the way from the Gulf to St. Louis, on arterial local roads. The final proj- facilities over the next three years per mile, according to the data, whileand its clear that this route is the best ectonthePriorityProjectListthatDetailsaboutAmericanFoodsthe average tons per mile across theoption.Ourportsareleadersinthe RensingdiscussedwastheI-255/ Groupsrecentlyopened$800mil- othereightinlandportdistrictswasmovement of agricultural products. ST. LOUIS REGION BY THE NUMBERS#1 MOST EFFICIENT U.S. INLAND PORT DISTRICT6 CLASS 1 RAILROADS: GLOBAL CONNECTIVITY15% MORE PRODUCTIVE MANUFACTURINGWORKFORCE THAN NATIONAL AVERAGE4X MORE AEROSPACE MANUFACTURING EMPLOYEESTHAN SIMILAR-SIZED MARKETS3.5X MORE ANIMAL FOOD MANUFACTURINGEMPLOYEES THAN PEER METRO AREAS$8B+ IN INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTSLOW COST OF LIVING (13.7% BELOW NATIONAL AVERAGE) WITH DIVERSE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES.THE ST. LOUIS REGION DELIVERS. LET US GET YOU MOVING.To learn more about the thousands of acres of developer-ready real estate sites in theSt. Louis region and our role in advancing major infrastructure projects and addressingglobal supply chain disruptions, visit TheFreightway.com/AJOT or follow us on social media. TheFreightway.comFor site selection assistance, contact Mary Lamie at 314-982-1562 or [email protected].'