Interesting article on David Jordan's Transportation Blog at

http://www.wpgrr.com/

The article states that:

"(1) Peoria ranks No. 22 in the nation for the value of its exports, rivaling St. Louis and exceeding considerably larger cities such as Cleveland, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh. Peoria area companies exported $9.6 billion worth of product in 2006.

(2) A primary example of items exported from this area is heavy machinery, which makes better use of surface transportation rather than air freight due to weight.

(3) Chicago area roadways are expected to reach saturation point by 2020, which would cause transit delays for trucks. The rising costs of diesel fuel may also shift more air cargo back to the local airport rather than Chicago."

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We expect that the continued increases in congestion around Chicago and St. Louis create economic development opportunities for Peoria. There simply is no easy correction for the massive congestion that comes with very large urban areas. Companies and individuals will continue to "vote with their feet", and move to smaller and less congested areas like Peoria.