The St. Louis Regional Freightway Purpose
Founded in 2014 as an enterprise of Bi-State Development, the St. Louis Regional Freightway further enhances the St. Louis region’s standing as a premier international freight hub. Under Executive Director, Mary Lamie, the Freightway coordinates regional freight development efforts, tightly connecting the private and public sectors while advocating the region’s greatest freight and site selection strengths.
The St. Louis Regional Freightway is an all-purpose authority for freight operations and opportunities within the St. Louis region. Contact us directly for more information on how the Freightway can help your business or organization succeed in the bistate area.
History
The creation of a regional freight district is recommended through the St. Louis Regional Freight Study and approved by the region’s metropolitan planning organization East-West Gateway Council of Government’s Board of Directors from throughout the bistate area. The study is conceived as a way of strengthening the economy of the St. Louis region while optimizing the network of cargo transportation throughout the bistate area and beyond.
The first meeting of the Freight Working Group – a team focused on implementing the mission, goals, and reach of the bistate region’s new freight district – is held with the cooperation of a team of civic leaders and industry authorities from both sides of the Mississippi River.
The St. Louis region’s freight district is launched as the premier system of managing and improving freight operations throughout the St. Louis area. Because the Bi-State Development agency is uniquely positioned as both an economic development leader and as an implementation arm for regional projects, it was selected by the East-West Gateway Board in September to lead this freight initiative.
Mary Lamie is hired by Bi-State Development as the Executive Director of the St. Louis region’s new freight district. Ms. Lamie is a professional engineer whose record includes over 25 years worth of experience in civil engineering, public transportation management, and funding strategies. Her experience brings a proven voice and direction to the forefront of the region’s freight district.
With the support of the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Leadership Council of Southwestern Illinois released the 2015 Southwestern Illinois Freight Transportation Study. This study evaluated the bistate region’s freight system and significantly influenced the Freightway’s identification of opportunities to fortify and expand the region’s freight economy.
The “St. Louis Regional Freightway” name and brand image are officially born. In tribute to the region’s “Gateway to the West” identity, the Freightway is solidified as a recognizable, go-to source for all things freight within the bistate area, and most importantly – Your Gateway to the World.
On April 27, 2016, the St. Louis Regional Freightway was publicly launched at the 2016 Freight Summit. A crowd of nearly 200 freight and logistics industry specialists, area business owners and executives, and elected officials attended the event in downtown St. Louis, Missouri.
The Freight Summit was organized to announce future projects and goals of the St. Louis Regional Freightway. The event featured an address by special guest, Federal Highway Administration Administrator Gregory Nadeau. The Freight Summit also celebrated the live launch of TheFreightway.com.
Goals
The St. Louis Regional Freightway is a dynamic, multi-faceted enterprise which leverages its many strengths to achieve the following goals.
Build on Regional Successes
The St. Louis region has a significant range of assets which contribute to the success of individual companies, organizations, and the region as a whole. The Freightway is implementing initiatives to further enhance the experience for current and future users of our freight network, such as:
- Improve first and last-mile connections
- Streamline permitting processes
Promote Industry Specialization
Specialized industry clusters are a critical element in the success of regional economies. The St. Louis Regional Freightway focuses on optimizing St. Louis’ freight network by promoting business development and supporting workforce development to grow our existing specialized and emerging industry clusters.
St. Louis is home to specialized industry clusters, such as:
- Aerospace & Defense
- Agriculture
- Automotive
- Chemical Manufacturing
- Cleaning Agent Manufacturing
- Logistics
- Metal Manufacturing & Recycling
- Pharmaceuticals
Strengthen Modal Flexibility
The St. Louis region has strategic access to all major modes of transportation. The Freightway develops intermodal connections in the region to offer freight users flexibility and efficiency when shipping cargo across various freight platforms.
- Third largest inland port
- Four interstates with national access
- Five airports with capacity
- Six Class I railroads
Enable E-Commerce Growth
E-commerce is becoming an increasingly important facet of the national economy, causing customer expectations of faster service and more options. An effective freight network is an essential element of helping e-commerce providers meet customers’ rising expectations. The Freightway will work with e-commerce stakeholders to make the St. Louis region a critical part of this emerging practice.
- Skilled IT workforce
- Plentiful broadband infrastructure
- Central location; closer to consumers
- Congestion-free network, more efficient shipping & delivery
Capitalize on Panama Canal Expansion
The international freight network is experiencing significant shifts in freight routing and freight flows as the Panama Canal expansion project is completed in late 2016. While not all implications of the expansion are known, the St. Louis region is taking proactive steps to capitalize on any and all changes to global freight operations.
The Freightway is building connections and joint initiatives with Gulf and East Coast ports that are poised to see an increase in Asian-origin freight bypassing West Coast ports.
- The newly expanded Panama Canal will allow for passage of cargo ships up to 3x larger than what is allowed today
- The expanded canal allows for additional shipping options for much of the U.S.
- The Panama Canal’s expansion coupled with the increasing need for lighting fast shipping creates a need for centrally-located warehouse and distribution, such as in the Midwest
Bi-State Development
The St. Louis Regional Freightway is an enterprise of Bi-State Development. BSD is a dynamic and multi-faceted resource for economic development in the St. Louis region. With expertise in planning and implementation, Bi-State Development provides real solutions to regional challenges with efficiency and accountability. With more than six decades of experience building jobs and initiating economic development, BSD continues to transform the St. Louis region for the better.
Our Partners
The Freightway would like to thank East-West Gateway Council of Governments and Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois for their ongoing support.
