Roads, rivers, rails and runways add up to economic success in Illinois.
Ilinois’ transportation infrastructure is both well-known and well-documented. Statewide, the Land of Lincoln boasts five international airports; seven other commercial airports; all seven Class I freight railroads (the only state to have this); the third-largest intermodal port in the world; the third largest Interstate highway system in the U.S.; and two major inland ports and 14 waterway ports.
With assets like that, is it any wonder that large-scale logistics end-users keep building new distribution warehouse facilities in the state? According to the Conway Projects Database of Site Selection Magazine, Illinois landed 1,312 such projects from 2020 to 2025 — the most in the nation during that time.
Illinois reaps this haul because of its world-class transportation infrastructure. Tim Feemster, CEO and managing principal of Foremost Quality Logistics in Dallas, says that “the availability of rail — both intermodal and manifest — from the five major North American railroads in the Chicago area to reach Canada and both coasts for international inbound and outbound goods” is a key factor in Greater Chicago maintaining its place as America’s largest industrial market. He also cites “direct access to the St. Lawrence Seaway for ship traffic to Europe and the East Coast of the U.S.” as pivotal.
Getting goods to market efficiently is a competitive advantage in Illinois. According to Feemster, “Transportation is over 60% of the cost of the overall supply chain in the U.S. Rent, labor and taxes are all in the 10% range. Most people do not realize how much the transportation cost impacts the location decision. They tend to focus on rent, labor and taxes. This can cause major profitability issues down the road as the company realizes the impact of the transportation costs on the profitability of the site.”
“Illinois is the freight hub of North America, and Union Pacific is the largest of six Class I railroads that operate in the state. We have an extensive network of more than 2,300 miles of railroad track, 3,000 employees, and $1.7 billion in annual in-state purchases.”
— Robynn Tysver, Communications Manager, Union Pacific Railroad
How Illinois Wins
Here is how Illinois wins. Within a 275-mile radius of Joliet in Northern Illinois, there is a population of 44.3 million people. Within a 250-mile radius are pretty much all the major markets of Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan. Half of Iowa and the western arc of Ohio — including Toledo, Dayton and Cincinnati — are within this radius as well. Moreover, within this circle there is a total labor force of 22.7 million workers.
Route 66 is the original highway across America. This sign in Joliet is part of a Choose Chicago marketing campaign celebrating the rich heritage of America’s first cross-country highway.
Photo courtesy of Visit Joliet and Unidos Marketing Network
Travel southward to the region of Southwest Illinois and you find much the same access via transportation. Within a 250-mile radius of the bi-state Metro St. Louis region are 33.26 million people. That means that within a single day’s drive, a truck can go there and back to these markets: Champaign, Illinois; Kansas City; Memphis; Louisville; Indianapolis; and Des Moines.
Shipping by truck is only part of the transportation story in Illinois. Rail and waterway transport are the two modes that elevate Illinois to top-tier status. According to Robynn Tysver, communications manager for Union Pacific Railroad, “Illinois is the freight hub of North America, and Union Pacific is the largest of six Class I railroads that operate in the state. We have an extensive network of more than 2,300 miles of railroad track, 3,000 employees, and $1.7 billion in annual in-state purchases.”
Just how important is Illinois to the rest of the country? Consider this: “Approximately 25% of all rail cars, and 50% of all intermodal containers in the U.S., travel through Chicago, Illinois’ central location,” says Tysver. “Proximity to Lake Michigan, and the size of Chicagoland’s workforce, combined with its long-held reliance on railroad service, helps Illinois maintain its status as a critical U.S. market.”
UP operates three intermodal facilities in Greater Chicago. Combined, they complete more than 1.3 million container lifts each year. “These facilities help transport the products that can be found on store shelves and in businesses throughout the Chicago area, including food, cars and consumer products such as clothes and exercise bikes,” says Tysver.
UP’s biggest intermodal facility in Illinois is the Global IV port in Joliet. This massive site of more than 700 acres handles 750,000 containers per year and has more than 4,000 parking stalls, according to Tysver.
UP is not done growing in Illinois either, notes Tysver. “In 2024, we invested about $105 million into our Illinois infrastructure,” she says. “The significant investments we’ve made in our facilities and our network help improve rail efficiency in Chicago and help Union Pacific offer safe, best-in-class rail service that meets the needs of our customers.”
A Port to the World
By water, the Illinois International Port District is a major player in expediting the flow of commerce through Illinois and to the world. Home to the Port of Chicago, this district is instrumental in shipping goods to the Atlantic Ocean via the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway and to the Gulf of Mexico via the Illinois Waterway and the Mississippi River.
Chicago Rockford International Airport, located 68 miles northwest of Chicago, is a prime transportation resource for people and businesses in Northern Illinois.
Photo courtesy of Chicago Rockford International Airport
Erik Varela, executive director of the IIPD, says that “IIPD secured both state and federal grant funding last year, aimed at making huge improvements to the Port of Chicago, including investments in zero-emissions equipment and the reconstruction of our 100-year-old dock wall. These grants are worth tens of millions of dollars, will modernize the IIPD and will have positive impacts on our community, Chicago and the state.”
Besides Chicago and surrounding Northern Illinois, perhaps the best example of a community incorporating all elements of transportation into its regional economy is the Southern Illinois region anchored by Carbondale. Deb Barnett, executive director of Southern Illinois Now (SI Now), says that her region’s strong suit is something she calls the “R4 Advantage.”
By R4, she means roads, rivers, rails and runways. “This strategic blend of regional assets makes Southern Illinois a powerful logistics and transportation hub for businesses,” Barnett says. “The region is intersected by major Interstates like I-57, I-24 and I-54, placing 80% of the U.S. population within a two-day trucking distance.”
Other regional transportation assets include:
- Being located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.
- Home to five port districts.
- Home to five Class I railroads.
- Veterans Airport in Marion and Southern Illinois Airport in Carbondale.
Barnett adds that this infrastructure attracts businesses. “Companies like Continental Tire, General Dynamics and AISIN benefit from the region’s connectivity and workforce,” she notes. “Prysmian Group and Manner Polymers expanded here due to the efficient highway and rail access. Also, AECI Schirm chose Southern Illinois to better serve Midwest markets. These businesses leverage the R4 Advantage to reduce transportation costs, improve delivery times and streamline supply chains.”
Rebuild Illinois is Rebuilding Roadways
If recent history is any indication, the transportation infrastructure of Illinois will continue to expand courtesy of a number of federal and state funding programs.
One project that is at the top of that list is a proposed $1 billion expressway that would connect Southern Illinois with St. Louis. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced on July 28 that it would seek public input as part of an ongoing $6 million study of the proposed Southwestern Illinois Expressway through Jackson, Monroe, Perry and Randolph counties.
The project would take 10 years to complete and would include portions of Illinois State Roads 3, 154 and 13/27 from Carbondale to St. Louis.
To learn more about this and other roadway projects in Illinois, we turned to IDOT Communications Director Guy Tridgell.
Can you provide an update on the Rebuild Illinois program in terms of recently completed projects and major projects that are planned?
TRIDGELL: Accomplishments through Year Six of Rebuild Illinois include almost $20.8 billion of improvements statewide on 7,897 miles of highway, 815 bridges and 1,181 additional safety improvements. Over the next six years, IDOT is planning to improve more than 3,200 miles of highway and nearly 9 million square feet of bridge deck as part of Rebuild Illinois, which is investing $33.2 billion into all modes of transportation.
Among the major projects that have been completed: The first two phases of the Interstate 255 reconstruction in Metro East, upgrades to the Murray Baker and Bob Michel bridges in Peoria, the rehabilitation of the I-280 bridge over the Mississippi River in the Quad Cities, I-57 pavement improvements through Cook County, a new Illinois 59-I-55 interchange in Will County, pieces of the I-57 expansion in Southern Illinois and the I-70 resurfacing near Effingham.
Major projects ongoing or in the works made possible by the capital program: I-80 rebuild and expansion in Will County, passenger rail reintroduction between Rockford and Chicago, I-57/74 interchange rebuild in Champaign-Urbana, MetroLink expansion in Metro East, a new I-80 over the Mississippi River bridge in the Quad Cities, I-270 corridor improvements between Illinois and Missouri, Rebuild I-39 in Winnebago County, Bishop Ford Freeway resurfacing in Cook County and the Springfield Rail Improvements Project.
What are the three biggest ongoing transportation infrastructure improvements projects that are currently taking place in Illinois?
TRIDGELL: The I-80 reconstruction in Will County; the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) program and its various elements in the Chicago region; and the new I-57/74 interchange in Champaign-Urbana.
The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) recently released its annual report on the Top 100 Truck Bottlenecks in America and listed the I-294/290/88 congruence in Chicago as the No. 2 most congested truck bottleneck in the country. Is there any ongoing plan or work in place to address this?
TRIDGELL: The Illinois Department of Transportation has been coordinating with the ongoing Illinois Tollway’s Central Tri-State reconstruction project, which includes the reconstruction of the I- 290/88 interchange at I-294 interchange. The $700 million to $800 million interchange component is part of a broader $4 billion corridor-wide upgrade. Major ramps — including from westbound I-290 to northbound I-294 and from Roosevelt Road to southbound I-294 — remain closed with posted detours. For the latest maps and alerts, visit the Illinois Tollway’s I-290/88 Interchange project page.
Illinois is proactive about keeping its roads in good shape and addressing bottlenecks. Chicago region commuters have many options beyond driving: Metra commuter trains, Amtrak’s national passenger rail service, and the “L.”
