b'10American Journal ofTransportation ajot.comLooking beyond the box to the futureBy Brenda Silva, AJOTWith infrastructure improvements and expansions playing an integral role in hub choice for shippers, intermodal transportation of freight is expected to increase well into the future. Lamie commented on the correlation between population growth and the growth of intermodal transport.Withtheworldpopulationexpectedtogrowby25% and to exceed 10 billion people over the next 25 years, the needforefficientproductionandintermodaltransportation of food is more critical than ever. The USDOT forecasts that the U.S. is becoming more urbanized, and urbanized areas are turning into larger metropolitan areas resulting in regions with higher volumes of freight. The USDOT is also predicting rail distribution will continue to grow in importanceestimating the industry will increase 30%over the next two decades.Barge traffic on Mississippi River at St. Louis, MO.She noted, Increased urbanization and world population that leads to a greater demand for food are driving the growth in St. Louis intermodal businesscontainerized cargo both nationally and globally, emphasizing the importance of intermodal transportation and the ability of the U.S. to compete in the global market.attracts investment Looking beyond the current Priority Projects List, the St. LouisRegionalFreightwayplanstocontinueanambitious Infrastructureexpansionprojectlookstoincreaseintermodalschedule of projects, which could have future project investment exceed current progress statistics.business. Planned improvements aim to attract more manufacturingLamie said, Over the next five to 10 years, were excited and shipper investment. to say we could see a level of investment that far exceeds the current progress. During this period of time, work could be By Brenda Silva, AJOT underway on more than $5 billion in infrastructure projects. Thoseprojectswouldspecificallybenefittheregionaland Faced with costly delays caused by supplyProjectsListanambitiousscheduleofnational supply chain, not to mention supporting the St. Louis chaindisruptions,manyfreighthubsareinfrastructureimprovementsthatbeganinbi-stateareasdeveloper-readyindustrialrealestatesites. A looking to streamline freight operations on site2023isintendedtonotonlykeeppacesample of these projects include the following:with infrastructure improvement and expansionwithcompetitorhubs,butalsotohighlight$2.8billionproposedterminalatSt.LouisLambert plans. At the St. Louis Regional Freightway,enhanced intermodal services and attract moreInternational Airportthe 2025 Multimodal Transportation Priority(ATTRACTScontinued on page 20) (BEYONDcontinued on page 16)ST. LOUIS REGION BY THE NUMBERS1 STMOST EFFICIENT U.S. INLAND PORT DISTRICT6 CLASS 1 RAILROADS: GLOBAL CONNECTIVITY15% MORE PRODUCTIVE MANUFACTURING WORKFORCE THAN NATIONAL AVERAGE4X MORE AEROSPACE MANUFACTURING EMPLOYEES THAN SIMILAR-SIZED MARKETS3.5X MORE ANIMAL FOOD MANUFACTURING EMPLOYEES THAN PEER METRO AREAS$8B+ IN INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS THE ST. LOUIS REGION DELIVERS.LET US GET YOU MOVING. To learn more about the St. Louis regions 10,500 acres of developer-ready real estate sites and our role in advancing major infrastructure projects and addressing global supply chain disruptions, visit TheFreightway.com/AJOTor follow us on social media.TheFreightway.com/AJOTFor site selection assistance, contact Mary Lamie at 314-982-1562 or [email protected]'