St. Louis Region advances multibillion-dollar strategy to strengthen freight network

The St. Louis Regional Freightway today released its 2027 Priority Projects List, which includes 29 projects representing a total investment topping $9.2 billion and highlights continued progress in advancing critical infrastructure improvements across the bi-state St. Louis region. The list was released during the annual Freight Summit on Wednesday, June 10, the signature event of FreightWeekSTL, held this year aboard the Gateway Arch Riverboats. As of May 2026, more than $581 million in projects on the list had been completed. Nearly $3.8 billion in total funding has been secured and construction is currently underway on projects totaling approximately $1.6 billion. With 41% of total project costs funded, additional projects are expected to advance to construction in the near future.

“The list highlights the top infrastructure needs of the manufacturing and logistics industries in Eastern Missouri and Southwestern Illinois and is a valuable tool used to advocate for support and funding for critical freight infrastructure improvements that strengthen the St. Louis region’s position as a world-class freight and logistics hub,” said Mary Lamie. Lamie is Executive Vice President of Multimodal Enterprises for Bi-State Development and head of the St. Louis Regional Freightway.

The Priority Projects List is compiled annually by the Freightway’s Freight Development Committee, a collaborative group of stakeholders from the Missouri and Illinois Departments of Transportation, East-West Gateway Council of Governments, all modes of transportation, the manufacturing and logistics industries and academia working collaboratively through a process that has been recognized nationally for its effectiveness.

During the Freight Summit, Lamie was joined by Carrie Nelsen, Region Five Engineer for the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), and Tom Evers, District Engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation’s (MoDOT) St. Louis District, to discuss several of the most significant projects advancing across the region.

Projects highlighted by Nelsen include construction of the $496 million Interstate 270 (I-270) Chain of Rocks Bridge, a joint IDOT and MoDOT project currently underway to strengthen a critical bi-state freight corridor, and associated work on I-270 in Madison County, Ill. She discussed the $106 million Illinois Route 3 Connector, a fully funded project including new construction of 1.4 miles to improve traffic flow, accessibility and network connectivity. She also touched on continuing work on the Illinois Rte. 158 (Air Mobility Drive) relocation from IL Rte. 161 to IL Rte. 15, a $70.3 million project. Construction is underway on the segment from IL Rte. 161 to IL Rte. 177, but the project was expanded this year to extend to IL Rte. 15, and that portion is still pending funding.

Nelsen discussed the collaboration between the two departments of transportation. “The bridges that span the Mississippi River are border bridges; they are shared 50%/50% between IDOT and MoDOT,” Nelsen said. “Usually there is one lead agency that you see as the face of a project, but both agencies are deeply involved in those projects since they are so expensive.”

Evers echoed a similar theme. “We’re all here today because of freight and partnership and how important all that is working together to advance the transportation system in the region,” Evers said. “The Chain of Rocks Bridge is a great example of that.”

He went on to discuss continuing work on I-270 on the Missouri side of the Mississippi River, including construction underway on the $34.5 million Riverview Drive Exchange and the gap project between Riverview Interchange and MO Rte. 367. He also highlighted major investments along the Interstate 70 (I-70) corridor, including the $634 million improvement project from Warrenton to Wentzville now under construction. It is the largest single project in MoDOT’s history and part of a broader $1.18 billion effort to improve I-70 from Warrenton to the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge. He discussed the importance of the segment of I-70 from the Missouri River to approximately Interstate I70 (I-170) as an unfunded need that would support the planned improvements at St. Louis Lambert International Airport and encouraged the freight community to advocate for its funding. Evers touched on the planned improvements on Interstate 44 (I-44) from the Oklahoma state line through Franklin County, Mo., a vital freight link across the state. He noted more than $100 million has already been secured to improve the I-44/U.S. 50 interchange and support other asset management along I-44 in the St. Louis region, where the total project costs are estimated at $200 million. Evers also said that MoDOT is working with other local partners and IDOT to advance a study on how best to address the depressed section of interstates in downtown St. Louis.

The largest single project on the 2027 list is the new terminal at St. Louis Lambert International Airport, now estimated to exceed $3 billion. Approximately $1 billion has been secured to advance several enabling projects. Lamie highlighted several other projects on the list that are now fully funded, including $246 million in improvements to Interstate 55 (I-55) from Rte. Z to Rte. 67, which should be completed later this year or early in 2027 increasing capacity along a heavily traveled freight route; the MacArthur Bridge Improvements over the Mississippi River – a $75 Million project; and more than $67 million in improvements on I-64 from Green Mount Rd. to IL Rte. 158 (Air Mobility Dr.)

She said additional projects on the list that could be well underway in the next few years include the $98 million multimodal Freight Yard expansion at the Madison Yard in Madison, Ill., and various projects at the ports in the bi-state area that support the region’s position as the Ag Coast of America and the nation’s most efficient inland port system.

Lamie said the Freightway will continue to advocate for funding for the other projects on the list that currently remain unfunded, including the $629 million replacement of the Martin Luther King Bridge over the Mississippi River; the $570 million project to add lanes on I-55/70 from Interstate 255 (I-255) to I-270; Illinois Route 3 access improvements; distribution improvement projects at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, and more.

“It’s clear the collaboration that is the foundation of the annual Priority Projects List contributes to the forward movement of the projects on our list,” Lamie said. “We celebrate the progress revealed in this year’s list and expect to continue to advance projects through a sustained period of significant infrastructure investment for our region. These investments will benefit the supply chain for our region and the nation and will support the bi-state area’s abundance of developer-ready industrial real estate sites.”