America’s Central Port and St. Louis’ freight district: Economic boons you didn’t realize were there

The forecast for 2016 in Madison County and the St. Louis region’s newly-created freight district includes 9,600 feet of rail track, 1 million cubic yards of dirt and 8,000 cubic yards of concrete — and the sound of barge horns. The South Harbor at America’s Central Port was recently christened and is set to open in 2016 — with an expected increase in commodities flow by 25 percent . That’s part of an effort by business leaders in the St. Louis metropolitan area to meet the needs or projections that freight shipments across the U.S. will increase 60 percent over the next 25 years … and solidify St. Louis as a hub for such transactions. A previous study on the region’s strengths and weaknesses showed that the region had a lot of growth potential in attracting freight flow through the area. On Wednesday, three guests joined “St. Louis on the Air” host Don Marsh to discuss the South Harbor project, the St. Louis freight district and what economic benefit projects surrounding it bring to