In conjunction with the 2023 ISS Spring Conference held in April, APA-ISS Region 5 members attended a Mobile Workshop on May 19, 2023, which featured a tour of the Mid America St. Louis Airport located in St. Clair County, IL! Located 21 miles east of downtown St. Louis, the Mid America St. Louis Airport has been the focus of much planning and economic development in recent months.

New construction has included a recently expanded, state-of-the-art terminal building, the emergence of a new Boeing Company MQ-25 production facility, the extension of a new taxiway and taxiway bridge to connect the airport to a new aviation business park, and a planned 5.2 mile extension of St. Louis’ MetroLink light-rail transit system from its current terminus at the adjacent Scott Air Force Base to the “civilian” side of the airport property.

Planners were treated to a fully narrated mobile tour of the entire airport facility (even enjoying a thrill ride drive down runway #1). Mid America St. Louis Airport ranks among the US Top 200 airports for annual passenger enplanements, with ready access to destinations in Florida, Arizona, South Carolina, and Nevada.

The Mobile Workshop concluded with a presentation by Mid-America St. Louis Airport Director Bryan Johnson followed by a discussion with the City of O’Fallon IL’s Community Development Director Justin Randall and City of Mascoutah’s Deputy City Administrator Keri Spier on the many benefits and challenges these communities experience in planning around this fast-growing airport.

Many thanks to Mid-America St. Louis Airport Director Bryan Johnson and Dan Trapp, Director of Engineering and Planning for taking the time to give IL-APA ISS Region 5 planners such a warm welcome and interesting tour of this great facility!