Transportation & Logistics: Highways |  Airports  |  Rail  |  Waterways  |  Bus |  Commuter Train

There are 1,095 miles of navigable waterways that either border or pass through the State of Illinois. These waterways provide the state with connections to both the Atlantic Ocean (St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes) and the Gulf of Mexico (Mississippi). The port of Chicago offers terminals that handle ocean and lake vessels as well as barges. Owned by the Illinois International Port District, the Lake Michigan port is served by 12 railroads and has direct access to Interstates 90 and 94. There are an additional 18 port districts established in the State of Illinois. The Illinois Department of Transportation also owns and operates two vehicle ferries that cross the Illinois River, while supporting the development and intermodal connectivity of Illinois' transportation system.

The Port of Chicago includes two facilities: Iroquois Landing, a 100-acre terminal with 3,000 feet of ship and barge berthing space; and Lake Calumet Harbor, consisting of four transit sheds totaling over 400,000 square feet adjacent to approximately 3,000 feet of ship and barge berthing space. The harbor also houses two of the largest grain storage facilities in Illinois with a capacity of approximately 14 million bushels, and one of the largest tank storage farms in Illinois with a capacity of approximately 800,000 liquid barrels.

Cargo passing through the Chicago region comes from as far as Africa and Central Europe. With hundreds of ships and thousands of barges unloading and reloading cargo each year. Chicago remains the largest inland cargo port in America.