By Dom Welling.
The group behind plans to create an aerotropolis at Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport (MKE), say they want to seize a share of Chicago O' Hare Airport's cargo traffic by making the gateway a more efficient and cost effective alternative for shippers.
Tom Rave, executive director of The Gateway To Milwaukee, an association of business and public companies that are leading project, said key advantages such as its smaller size, local manufacturing expertise and low export costs, would give Milwaukee the edge to grab some of Chicago's transcontinental business.
"What makes the Milwaukee Aerotropolis unique and attractive, is not only its manufacturing expertise, but it will have lower costs than Chicago, and be much better value, through the benefits of being smaller," he said.
"You have to take advantage of what strengths you have and need as a city. We know what we need to do, we just need recommendations on how to do it," added Rave.
At the moment, Chicago O'Hare is the second busiest airport in the US and the third busiest in the world, but Milwaukee wants to enjoy some of that business for itself.
The airport's smaller size will cut down on cargo-handling times and costs and the aerotropolis will benefit from a tight geographical location, says Rave.
The airport already boasts significant intermodal connections.
It is just five miles from the port on Lake Michigan, there are two commercial railroads than run either side of the airport and the major interstate 94 - which connects Chicago and Milwaukee - runs just outside.
Through its port, Milwaukee is at the heart of a regional transportation and distribution system located on the western shore of Lake Michigan that connects southeastern Wisconsin with its neighbours in the Midwest Canada and the world via the St. Lawrence Seaway.
A dedicated rail station connects passengers to downtown Milwaukee and to Chicago's Union Station and the O'Hare International Airport.
Rave said the main function of Milwaukee Aerotropolis would be to act as an intermodal-trucking centre.
At present ships from China and Japan transport goods to the US West Coast, trains then take the containers across country to Milwaukee and then trucks or planes can take it on from there, but they plan to increase this significantly.
"It has to be an efficient multi-modal transportation hub. It's all about service and efficiencies that will attract businesses," says Rave.
"The smaller entity can have some time and speed advantages in performance and changing behaviours."
For passengers, it offers easier access, cheaper parking, and because two airlines use the airport as a hub - Frontier Airlines and Air Tran Airways - the competition drives the cost of flights down for passengers.
Rave said: "If it is cheaper and has better traffic access than Chicago, and someone lives half way between the two airports - why not come to Milwaukee?"
Rave and his colleagues are in the process of talking with local municipalities and governments to get more efficient and to make the process of getting materials in to the airport and products out much smoother.
A detailed strategic roadmap of how the Milwaukee Aerotropolis will develop is currently underway.
Companies are already starting to see the benefits of taking their business to Milwaukee.
In March, local company Bentley World Packaging Ltd announced it would package and ship products made by fire and military truck manufacturer Oshkosh, from a 340,000sqft warehouse near the airport and would soon consolidate most of its operations there.
Formed in 2009, The Gateway To Milwaukee is tasked with planning, promoting, and developing the area around General Mitchell International Airport.
With General Mitchell International Airport at its centre, the aerotropolis is located in a growing region in the heart of the Midwest and has a population base of more than 300,000 within 15 minutes of the airport.
Roughly 9.8 million passengers and more than 66,600 tons of airfreight travel through the General Mitchell International Airport each year.
