ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Regional Freightway on Wednesday released its 2027 Priority Projects List, outlining 29 freight infrastructure projects across Eastern Missouri and Southwestern Illinois with a combined value of more than $9.2 billion, as regional and state transportation leaders pointed to funding progress and ongoing construction on several major efforts.
The list was unveiled during the annual Freight Summit, the signature event of FreightWeekSTL, held aboard the Gateway Arch Riverboats on June 10.
As of May 2026, more than $581 million in projects on the list had been completed, according to the Freightway. Nearly $3.8 billion in total funding has been secured, and construction is underway on projects totaling about $1.6 billion. The group said 41% of total project costs are funded, with additional projects expected to move toward construction.
“The list highlights the top infrastructure needs of the manufacturing and logistics industries in Eastern Missouri and Southwestern Illinois and is a valuable tool used to advocate for support and funding for critical freight infrastructure improvements that strengthen the St. Louis region’s position as a world-class freight and logistics hub,” said Mary Lamie, executive vice president of multimodal enterprises for Bi-State Development and head of the St. Louis Regional Freightway.
The Priority Projects List is compiled each year by the Freightway’s Freight Development Committee, which includes stakeholders from the Missouri and Illinois departments of transportation, East-West Gateway Council of Governments, transportation sectors, the manufacturing and logistics industries, and academia.
During the summit, Lamie was joined by Carrie Nelsen, Region Five engineer for the Illinois Department of Transportation, and Tom Evers, district engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation’s St. Louis District, to discuss several major projects moving forward in the region.
Among the projects highlighted by Nelsen was the $496 million Interstate 270 Chain of Rocks Bridge project, a joint IDOT and MoDOT effort now under construction, along with related work on I-270 in Madison County, Illinois. She also cited the $106 million Illinois Route 3 Connector, a fully funded project that includes 1.4 miles of new construction to improve traffic flow, accessibility and network connectivity.
Nelsen also discussed the $70.3 million relocation of Illinois Route 158, or Air Mobility Drive, from Illinois Route 161 to Illinois Route 15. Construction is underway on the segment from Illinois Route 161 to Illinois Route 177, while the newly expanded portion extending to Illinois Route 15 remains pending funding.
“The bridges that span the Mississippi River are border bridges; they are shared 50%/50% between IDOT and MoDOT,” Nelsen said. “Usually there is one lead agency that you see as the face of a project, but both agencies are deeply involved in those projects since they are so expensive.”
Evers also emphasized coordination between agencies and the freight sector.
“We’re all here today because of freight and partnership and how important all that is working together to advance the transportation system in the region,” Evers said. “The Chain of Rocks Bridge is a great example of that.”
On the Missouri side, Evers discussed construction underway on the $34.5 million Riverview Drive Exchange and the gap project between the Riverview Interchange and Missouri Route 367. He also pointed to major work along Interstate 70, including the $634 million improvement project from Warrenton to Wentzville, now under construction.
That project is part of a broader $1.18 billion effort to improve I-70 from Warrenton to the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge. Evers said the segment from the Missouri River to approximately Interstate 170 remains an unfunded need that would support planned improvements at St. Louis Lambert International Airport, and he encouraged freight stakeholders to advocate for funding.
He also addressed planned improvements on Interstate 44 from the Oklahoma state line through Franklin County, Missouri. More than $100 million has already been secured to improve the I-44/U.S. 50 interchange and support other asset management in the St. Louis region, where total project costs are estimated at $200 million, he said. Evers added that MoDOT is working with local partners and IDOT on a study of how to address the depressed section of interstates in downtown St. Louis.
The largest single project on the 2027 list is a new terminal at St. Louis Lambert International Airport, now estimated to cost more than $3 billion. About $1 billion has been secured for several enabling projects, according to Lamie.
Lamie also highlighted several fully funded projects on the list, including $246 million in improvements to Interstate 55 from Route Z to Route 67, which she said should be completed later this year or early in 2027; the $75 million MacArthur Bridge improvements over the Mississippi River; and more than $67 million in improvements on Interstate 64 from Green Mount Road to Illinois Route 158.
She said other projects that could advance significantly in the next few years include the $98 million multimodal Freight Yard expansion at Madison Yard in Madison, Illinois, and projects at bi-state area ports.
Lamie said the Freightway will continue to advocate for projects that remain unfunded, including the $629 million replacement of the Martin Luther King Bridge over the Mississippi River, the $570 million project to add lanes on Interstate 55/70 from Interstate 255 to Interstate 270, Illinois Route 3 access improvements, and distribution improvement projects at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport.
“It’s clear the collaboration that is the foundation of the annual Priority Projects List contributes to the forward movement of the projects on our list,” Lamie said. “We celebrate the progress revealed in this year’s list and expect to continue to advance projects through a sustained period of significant infrastructure investment for our region. These investments will benefit the supply chain for our region and the nation and will support the bi-state area’s abundance of developer-ready industrial real estate sites.”
