Economic Development / Transportation
Simpson County has an ideal transportation infrastructure network. From interstate and U.S. highway systems, to rail and seaports, business and industry have advantages of receiving raw materials and getting finished goods to markets quickly. Simpson County is within a single day’s drive to all of the major metropolitan areas of the Southeastern and Midwestern U.S.
Interstate & U.S. Highway System
Simpson County’s highway system provides excellent north-south and east-west access to major U.S. markets. U.S. Highway 49, a divided, four-lane highway runs north-south through Simpson County and connects the County and its people to the metro area of Jackson to the north and Hattiesburg and Gulfport to the South.U.S. 49 connects Simpson County to Interstate 55, a major north-south U.S. trade route. I-55 connects Jackson to Memphis, and St. Louis to the north and to Baton Rouge, La. to the South where it connects with Interstate 65 and Interstate 10 to New Orleans. U.S. 49 also connects Simpson County to Interstate 20, a major east-west U.S. trade route. U.S. 49 connects with I-20 in Jackson. To the east, I-20 provides access to Meridian, Birmingham, Atlanta, Columbia, SC, and terminates in Florence, SC with Interstate 95 – the major north-south trade route in the Eastern U.S. To the west from Jackson, I-20 connects your business or industry with Dallas and El Paso where I-20 terminates with Interstate 10.
Sea Ports
Simpson County has excellent access to two seaports – the Port of New Orleans and the Port of Gulfport. Both provide access to business and industry for the import and export of materials and goods.
Port of New Orleans
Ideally located at the mouth of Mississippi River, the Port of New Orleans is America’s gateway to the global market. New Orleans has been a center for international trade since 1718 when it when it was founded by the French. Today, the Port of New Orleans is at the center of the world’s busiest port complex — Louisiana’s Lower Mississippi River. Its proximity to the American Midwest via a 14,500-mile inland waterway system makes New Orleans the port of choice for the movement of cargoes such as steel, grain, containers and manufactured goods.The Port of New Orleans is the only deepwater port in the United States served by six class one railroads. This gives port users direct and economical rail service to or from anywhere in the country. New Orleans is one of America’s leading general cargo ports. A productive and efficient private maritime industry has help produce impressive results, including the USA’s top market share for import steel, natural rubber, plywood and coffee.In the last 10 years, the Port of New Orleans has invested more than $400 million in new state-of-the-art facilities. Improved breakbulk and container terminals feature new multipurpose cranes, expanded marshalling yards and a new roadway to handle truck traffic.
Port of Gulfport
www.shipmspa.com/AboutMSPA/aboutmspa.htm
The Port of Gulfport was established in 1902 as a deep water port located directly on the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 16 miles from the Sea Buoy. Access to the Port is provided by a short, 16 mile shipping channel which extends northward from vessel anchorage just south of Ship Island. All piers at the Port of Gulfport are public, however, most facilities are operated through leases, operating agreements or space assignment agreements with private operators or users.Through the development of a world-class deep-water port on the Gulf of Mexico with direct access to sea-lanes, air, rail, and interstate highways, the Mississippi Coast is fast becoming a leader in international trade. The Mississippi State Port at Gulfport moves over 2.3 million tons of cargo annually, including such diverse products as tropical fruit, frozen poultry, ilmenite ore, livestock, aluminum, steel, paper, other forest products and heavy lift cargoes. Gulfport is ranked as the 3rd busiest container port on the Gulf of Mexico and 17th in the United States.
Port of Vicksburg
www.vicksburg.org/pages/port.html
Vicksburg is located on the Mississippi River approximately midway between Memphis, Tennessee and New Orleans, Louisiana. Operated by the Warren County Port Commission, the Port of Vicksburg began shipping operations in October, 1968. Each year, more than three million tons of cargo pass through the Port, which has its own U.S. Customs Port of Entry.The Port consists of a slack water channel 9,500 feet in length and 300 feet wide with 12 feet minimum depth. Vicksburg Harbor is connected to the Mississippi River by a 4,800 foot long channel maintained at 150 feet wide and 12 feet deep.Based on its efficiency in loading and unloading cargoes, the Port of Vicksburg was selected as one of the best inland ports in the nation by the Ports and Waterways Institute at Louisiana State University.Facilities at the Port include a 15-ton bridge crane and a T-dock equipped with a 125-ton crane. Rail-served warehousing facilities are available.One of the most outstanding features of the Port is the LASH program. This program enables a barge to be sealed for international travel in Vicksburg and transferred directly to New Orleans where the barge is then loaded, with products still sealed. Ten barge lines service the Port of Vicksburg year-round without seasonal limitations.The Port is accessible from U.S. Highway 61, which interchanges with Interstate 20 six miles away. The site is within a Commercial Trucking Zone and is served by 21 truck lines. Fifty-five acres are available, with site sizes ranging from one to forty-five acres.
Rail Access
Mississippi has more than 2,800 miles of rail lines and is serviced by major carriers including Burlington-Northern, CSX, Norfolk-Southern, Illinois Central, Kansas City Southern, Southern Pacific, and the Union Pacific railroads.Simpson County is served by the Canadian National Railway (formerly the Illinois Central Railway) with a line that extends from Simpson County to the Port of Mobile, the Port of Gulfport, and the Port of New Orleans to the South. To the north, the C-N line runs through Jackson where C-N operates service facilities and to Memphis, St. Louis, Chicago, and points north across the Midwest and into Canada providing access to all major rail routes throughout the U.S. and Canada.CN is a leader in the North American rail industry. Following an integration with Illinois Central in 1999 and a merger with WC in 2001, CN is now able to provide shippers with more options and greater reach in the rapidly expanding market for north-south trade. C-N is the only transcontinental railway in North America and operates more than 18,000 route miles in the U.S. and Canada.CN has one of the best operating ratios in this industry and is committed to moving more freight, more quickly and with fewer assets. CN is the only railroad which crosses the continent east-west and north-south, serving ports on the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts while linking customers to all three NAFTA nations. CN revenues derive from the movement of a diversified and balanced portfolio of goods including petroleum and chemicals, grain and fertilizers, coal, metals and minerals, forest products, intermodal and automotive.
Airports
Simpson County residents have access to air travel through Jackson International Airport. Formerly known as Davis Field, the airport has been in continuous operation since 1929. Along with the international airport, the facility also operates a United States Customs office and a Foreign Trade Zone.The Jackson International Airport is proud to provide non-stop air service to ten cities daily via eight outstanding passenger carriers including Atlantic Southeast, American Eagle, ComAir, Continental, Delta, Northwest, Southwest and USAirways.Direct flights are offered daily to Atlanta, Baltimore-Washington, Dallas, Houston Hobby, Houston Intercontinental, Detroit, Memphis, Orlando, Charlotte, Chicago-Midway, and Cincinnati.
Air Freight
The Jackson International Airport is positioned as a major alternate cargo distribution hub with superior air facilities and capabilities. Ground transportation links include two major interstates located 5 miles from the capital city of Jackson, which has been called the "Crossroads of the South", JIA is within 500 miles of approximately 76 major metropolitan areas and over one third of the nation's population.
Jackson International Airport currently offers service from these integrated cargo carriers:
- Airborne Express
- BAX Global
- Emery Worldwide
- Integrated Airline Services, Inc.
- MCS, Inc
- United Parcel Service
JIA also has on site Freight Forwarders:
- M.G. Maher Company
- Page & Jones, Inc.
