A heart-of-Missouri location and an easy access to land, air and water transportation makes mid-Missouri an attractive place to do business and a fertile ground for future economic development.

Air Transportation

Undoubtably the most significant recent development pertaining to mid-Missouri's transportation network is the addition of passenger jet service by Ozark Air Lines at Columbia Regional Airport.

Ozark jets provide mid-Missouri travelers with daily jet departures to Chicago, Dallas and Joplin. The airline's 32 passenger Fairchild 328JETs feature the widest and tallest passenger cabins in the industry. Ozark's service to Chicago Midway and Dallas/Ft. Worth offers two extremely popular destinations with mid-Missouri business and leisure travelers. The airline's partnership with American Airlines in Dallas provides easy connections to destinations around the globe from Columbia Regional Airport.

In addition to service at Columbia Regional, many executive travelers take advantage of the facilities at Jefferson City Airport.

"The Jefferson City airport is still an excellent option for the corporate traveler coming in and out of Jefferson City," says David H. Meyer, vice president, economic development and workforce issues of the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce. "And we're really hoping that Ozark Air Lines makes a go of it at Columbia Regional."

After arriving on the scene in February, Ozark quickly boosted passenger service at Columbia Regional 36 percent over the first three months of last year. In May alone, more than 1,100 passengers boarded Ozark planes.

Interstate Highways

Interstate 70, the major east-west highway across the United States, slices right through the heart of mid-Missouri. The highway conveniently connects the region with the state's two major metropolitan areas-Kansas City and St. Louis-and serves as the transportation backbone for mid-Missouri commerce.

At the crossroads of I-70 and U.S. Highway 63, Columbia is only a two-hour drive from St. Louis or Kansas City. As the region's main north-south route, U.S. 63 connects Columbia with Jefferson City to the south and the city of Moberly to the north.

In Jefferson City, U.S. Highway 54 provides four-lane transportation south to the Lake of the Ozarks region and beyond. U.S. 50 serves the area as an important east-west route that may eventually provide a direct four-lane connection between the capitol city and Kansas City.

"The completion of Highway 54 to four lanes is having a tremendous impact on the local economy," Meyer says. "We now have complete four-lane access to the rest of the U.S."

Railroads

In addition to providing mid-Missouri's link to Amtrak passenger rail service, Jefferson City is well positioned as a railroad freight center.

"We're very fortunate to have a main-line rail for Union-Pacific," Meyer says. "We're an exceptionally competitive location for companies that ship by rail."

River Barge

With its location along the banks of the Missouri River, Jefferson City offers companies the unique opportunity to ship products to and from mid-Missouri by barge.

"We're currently facing some new challenges, concerns and opportunities with the Missouri River," says Meyer. "Some are wondering if the river will continue to be a viable barge shipping resource or if the river will take on more of a recreational role. We think the river and the way it's used will certainly be under the microscope for the next several years."