America’s Central Port is located in Madison County, Illinois, just north and across the Mississippi River from downtown St. Louis, Missouri. The St. Louis region is the 18th largest metropolitan area in the United States and the closest metropolitan area to its center of population. The region serves as a primary central hub for America’s water, road, and rail transportation systems. America’s Central Port offers immediate access to each of these transport modes.
Historically, water transportation and trading were key components to the St. Louis region’s early settlement and expansion. The region’s strategic location at the confluence of three major rivers – the Mississippi, the Missouri, and the Illinois – contributed to its economic growth. Today, barge transportation is still the most cost effective, safest, and sustainable way to move large commodity volumes. Direct access to the United States’ inland waterway system is a key advantage for potential tenants of the Port’s development sites.
The America’s Central Port harbor is the most northerly ice-free port on the Mississippi River which allows for year-round operation. Lock and Dam #27 at the south end of the Port’s harbor is the last lock on the Mississippi River granting open lock-free barge navigation to the Gulf of Mexico.
The central location of the Port allows freight transportation by truck to reach 70% of the United States’ population and 62% of its businesses within two days. One-third of the U.S. population is within 500 miles of America’s Central Port. In addition, the St. Louis region is the western terminus of two major eastern railroads and the eastern terminus of two major western railroads. In total, America’s Central Port has access to six Class 1 railroads and four major interstate highways to move your products across the country and throughout the continent.