OHIO RIVER CORRIDOR -- Site Selection magazine, November 2004

NOVEMBER 2004

Steel Gray Waters (cover)

Winding Its Way

Sun Peeking Through

All the Makings for A Positive Environment

Two Sides to Every River

The Southern Indiana-Louisville Metro Area

Tell Me More

Paducah and
Points Beyond

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OHIO RIVER CORRIDOR

Steel Gray Waters

The raft of projects locating along the
Ohio River indicates renewed industrial vigor.

by ADAM BRUNS

two-week shutdown of Ohio River transportation in August 2004 for dam repairs highlighted the industrial importance of the river, as an estimated two million tons of cargo was waylaid. But along the corridor the river has carved, project momentum

continues , as cities up and down the Ohio bank on their stateline locations and infrastructure to lure corporate operations.An examination of Conway New Plant Database activity in all the counties

abutting the Ohio River in the six states it touches reveals 241 projects between July 2003 and August 2004. That number represents more than 10 percent of all projects in those states during that period. Of course, 144 of those 241 projects were in Pittsburgh (51), Cincinnati (48) and Louisville (45). But considering that the state totals also comprise project capitals like Philadelphia and Chicago, that's a pretty hefty proportion for a river corridor that is often written off as rural or outmoded.
Energy and steel are high on the project list. And coal — which comprises more than half of the river's annual 280 million tons of cargo — continues to make a pronounced comeback.

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