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Transportation & Distribution
Introduction
Granite City has a prime location not only within the St. Louis metropolitan area, but within the United States, as well. Being located at the hub of the St. Louis area, with access to the Mississippi River via the Port District, the city has immediate access to four different modes of transportation – road, rail, water and air. The availability of so many options provides the community with some of the lowest shipping costs in the country.
In addition, the area is served by an ever-improving mass transit system, thanks in large part to organizations such as Madison County Transit and Metro, the bi-state agency which operates MetroLink.
Being located near the geographic and population centers of the U.S., businesses and residents alike can be rest assured that no matter where they need to go, they are never too far away from their destination. In the end, it just makes sense to be here.
Our community is located in a very strategic position, being situated within the nexus of four major interstate highways (44, 55, 64 & 70). Using these highways, which are directly linked to Cities such as Chicago, Denver, Louisville & Oklahoma City, travelers can head in virtually any direction.
The following information paints a clearer picture of the advantages to our street and highway system, both within the City and the region.
Traffic Counts
| TRAFFIC COUNT DATA - 2008 |
| Intersection | Daily Traffic Count |
| Road A | Road B | Road A | Road B |
| Interstate 270 | State Route 3 | 54,700 | 18,700 |
| Interstate 270 | State Route 203 | 48,700 | 16,300 |
| Madison Avenue | 27th Street | 14,100 | 4,600 |
| Madison Avenue | Niedringhaus Avenue | 13,900 | 7,200 |
| Madison Avenue | 20th Street | 10,200 | 4,300 |
| Nameoki Road | Johnson Road | 26,400 | 12,100 |
| Nameoki Road | Pontoon Road | 24,400 | 10,900 |
| Nameoki Road | Madison Avenue | 23,600 | 14,500 |
| Niedringhaus Avenue | 20th Street | 5,900 | 2,250 |
| Pontoon Road | Maryville Avenue | 13,900 | 10,900 |
| State Route 162 | Maryville Avenue | 13,200 | 3,700 |
| State Route 3 | New Poag Road | 19,800 | 7,800 |
| State Route 3 | W. Pontoon Road | 12,900 | 6,300 |
| State Route 3 | Rock Road | 12,700 | 6,800 |
| State Route 3 | Niedringhaus Avenue | 8,200 | 2,150 |
Source: Illinois Department of Transportation
For an interactive traffic data map, go to:
Illinois Department of Transportation Average Annual Daily Traffic Data
Interstate & Highway Map
Truck Access
Travel Distances (From City Center to City Center)
| Destination City | Distance (Miles) | Destination City | Distance (Miles) |
| St. Louis | 12.11 | Dallas | 643.77 |
| Indianapolis | 236.42 | Houston | 851.87 |
| Kansas City | 254.41 | Denver | 855.92 |
| Chicago | 291.21 | Philadelphia | 881.90 |
| Memphis | 295.32 | New York | 948.02 |
| Cincinnati | 344.70 | Boston | 1,188.93 |
| Detroit | 521.64 | Phoenix | 1,471.27 |
| Atlanta | 559.56 | Los Angeles | 1,840.07 |
| Minneapolis | 566.27 | San Diego | 1,864.43 |
| Pittsburgh | 597.57 | Seattle | 2,100.37 |
Source: Mapquest.com
All six Class I railroad companies and several regional rail lines have operations in and around Granite City and the Tri-Cities region. Granite and its surrounding cities make up one of the largest rail hubs within the St. Louis area, which is the 3rd largest rail hub in America.
Rail Companies Serving the Granite City Area:
Class I
Regional
Switching & Terminal
Rail Travel Map
Situated on the largest river in North America, Granite City, through the Tri-City Regional Port District, has an abundant supply of waterway transportation options. Annually, more than 3 million tons of product pass through the Tri-City Port District, which is part of the second largest inland port system in the United States. The Tri-City Port is also the northernmost year-round ice-free port and is the primary site for one of only two foreign trade zones in the St. Louis area, giving Granite City companies a major competitive logistical advantage.
Barge Access
The St. Louis metropolitan area is served by a conglomeration of airports, the largest of which is Lambert International Airport in St. Louis. Each airport serves its own niche of the market, with Lambert handling the bulk of passenger services, MidAmerica Airport focusing primarily on freight and others, such as Spirit of St. Louis, St. Louis Downtown and St. Louis Regional airports serving the corporate charter and general aviation markets.
Major & Regional Airports
The following gives further information about Lambert & MidAmerica airports in greater detail:
Lambert International Airport
Lambert International is one of the 35 largest airports in the country, with five concourses and 88 gates serving 20 airlines. Lambert serves all major U.S. cities, providing non-stop service to over 60 U.S. destinations.
In April 2006, a $1.1 billion runway expansion project was completed, improving efficiency at Lambert by 63 percent during inclement weather.
Lambert is located 29 minutes from Granite City and has on-site access to the newly expanded MetroLink light rail system, which provides access to both the Main and East Terminals.
Sources: www.stlcommercemagazine.com; www.lambert-stlouis.com; www.aci-na.org
Airlines Serving Lambert Include: |
| Air Canada/Air Canada Jazz | Air Choice One |
| American, American Connection/Eagle | AirTran |
| Continental/Continental Express | Delta/Delta Connection |
| Frontier Airlines | Great Lakes Airlines |
| Midwest Connect | Northwest/Northwest Airlink |
| Southwest Airlines | United/United Express |
| US Airways/US Airways Express | USA 3000 |
Daily Non-Stop Flights: |
| Destination | Number of Daily Flights | Destination | Number of Daily Flights | Destination | Number of Daily Flights |
| Atlanta | 14 | Detroit | 7 | Phoenix | 12 |
| Baltimore | 7 | Houston | 10 | Pittsburgh | 7 |
| Boston | 4 | Indianapolis | 4 | San Diego | 1 |
| Chicago | 39 | Los Angeles | 9 | San Francisco | 5 |
| Cincinnati | 6 | Memphis | 5 | Seattle | 6 |
| Cleveland | 6 | Minneapolis | 13 | Washington D.C. | 24 |
| Dallas | 16 | New York | 16 | | |
| Denver | 9 | Philadelphia | 8 | | |
Source: St. Louis Commerce Magazine, January 2007
MidAmerica Airport
MidAmerica Airport is the second largest airport in the St. Louis metropolitan area, and is located adjacent to Scott Air Force Base in St. Clair County, IL. Although it does operate as a reliever for Lambert’s passenger traffic volume and will continue to grow in that area, MidAmerica Airport’s current primary use is for international freight and cargo traffic. In 2003, the Airport received Foreign Trade Zone status covering over 6,500 acres, which was made possible through cooperation of the Tri-City Regional Port District. Currently, MidAmerica has a 50,000 square foot cargo facility, 10 air access doors and 37 truck docks.
Conveniently located at the Tri-City Regional Port District, with a sub-zone in downtown Granite City at the former NESCO facility, Foreign Trade Zone District No. 31 affords local businesses an added logistical incentive to locating in Granite City. The Port District has taken advantage of this asset by affording businesses about 1,200 acres of flexible warehouse/industrial space, with excellent multi-modal transportation access.
Metro
Metro, the area’s largest provider of public transportation and the operator of MetroLink, is one of the area’s greatest assets. MetroLink, the area’s commuter rail system, was recently honored by American Public Transit as the best large transit provider in North America. MetroLink has recently completed a $550 million expansion, which has helped it to increase its ridership to over 58,000 persons per day. In FY 2007, the Metro Bus ridership equaled 31.6 million boardings; the MetroLink ridership equaled 21.8 million boardings; and the Metro Call-A-Ride ridership equaled 663,869 boardings. All together in FY 2007, over 54 million passengers boarded the Metro System. Hopefully, the MetroLink line will be extended into Granite City in the not-so-distant future.
MCT
Madison County Transit (MCT), is also one of the area’s finest transportation services. From their bus services to their bike trails, MCT does it all. In Granite, MCT has built a state-of-the-art bus station in the downtown area, which transports passengers everywhere from downtown St. Louis to SIUE. For a list of destinations and bus routes, click here.
In addition to its bus services, MCT also provides for and maintains the various bike trails throughout the County. For a map of area bike trails, click here.
Street Improvement Projects 2007
Illinois Department of Transportation
Tri-City Regional Port District
Metro St. Louis (MetroLink)
Madison County Transit
Amtrak
Last Updated On: Jul 7th, 2009 at 8:53 AM
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