An abundance of factors contribute to the St. Louis region’s continued advancement as a world-class freight hub that delivers global access from the heart of the nation’s freight network. Among them are several unique corridors that are home to a concentration of freight assets, manufacturing and logistics operations, workers with the right skill sets or other features that make them prime locations for additional investment. The following are just a few of the corridors helping to drive recognition of the St. Louis region as a great place for industrial site selection.
Illinois Route 3 Corridor
Illinois (IL) Route 3 is the backbone of a 60-mile corridor in southwestern Illinois that runs parallel to St. Louis along the Mississippi River and Interstate 255. This area generates $16 billion in annual business revenue, supports 221,881 direct and indirect jobs, and has an incredible concentration of industrial, warehousing and distribution operations.
Click to see all the advantages that make this corridor a prime location for existing businesses and future industrial site selection and economic growth.
Ag Coast of America
The St. Louis region’s port system stretches over 70 miles (8 percent) of the Mississippi River. Its 200-plus private terminals handle approximately 436,000 tons per mile, nearly two-and-a-half times the efficiency of its closest competitors.
The activity is even more pronounced at 16 of these barge-transfer facilities concentrated in a 15-mile stretch of the Mississippi River that has become known as the Ag Coast of America.
At total capacity, these facilities can handle more than 150 barges per day – the highest level of capacity anywhere along the Mississippi River.
Interstate 70s Corridor
The 70‑mile‑long 70s corridor is a vital link between Illinois and Missouri and also the epicenter of the historic surge in new construction in the St. Louis regional industrial market. Over 25 million square feet of new industrial space hit the market since 2018, and nowhere is this construction boom more evident than along the 70s corridor (including I‑70, I‑170, I‑270, and I‑370) running from Foristell, Missouri to Marine, Illinois.
Click to learn more about this major logistics corridor that is home to a wealth of national manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors, with room to welcome more.