Transportation in Greater St. Louis, Missouri includes road, rail, ship, and air transportation modes connecting the bi-state St. Louis metropolitan area with surrounding communities throughout the metropolitan area, national transportation networks, and international locations. The Greater St. Louis region also supports a multi-modal transportation network that includes bus, light rail, and paratransit service in addition to shared-use paths, bike lanes and greenways.
Roads, highways, and bridges
The city of St. Louis has several major arterial roadways and boulevards. Important north-south routes include Broadway, Tucker Boulevard (which turns into Gravois Avenue and runs southwest to the city limits), Jefferson Avenue, Grand Boulevard, Vandeventer Avenue, Kingshighway Boulevard, and finally Skinker Boulevard. The latter two run on the east and west edges of Forest Park, respectively. Several of the city's primary arterials also continue into the St. Louis County suburbs. Some of those routes include West Florissant Avenue, Natural Bridge Avenue, and Dr. Martin Luther King Drive (which turns into St. Charles Rock Road), all of which carry traffic from downtown to the North County suburbs. Others are Clayton Road, Manchester Avenue, Chippewa Street (which turns into Watson Road), and South Broadway (eventually turning into Telegraph Road), all of which carry traffic from the city to the West and South County suburbs.
Other major corridors between the city and county include Market Street-Forest Park and Olive Boulevard. Market Street begins at the Arch Grounds and continues west, eventually turning into Forest Park Avenue in Midtown. After crossing Kingshighway in the Central West End, the name changes to Forest Park Parkway and the road takes on characteristics more similar to a divided highway until it reaches its terminus at Interstate 170 near downtown Clayton. Olive Boulevard, which is unrelated to downtown's Olive Street, begins at Skinker Boulevard on the city-county line and runs due west through the suburbs of University City, Olivette, Creve Coeur, and Chesterfield where it turns south and changes to Clarkson Road at Interstate 64. From here it continues through Clarkson Valley before ending at Manchester Road in Ellisville, Missouri.
Other county arterials include major north-south routes like Big Bend Boulevard, Hanley Road, Laclede Station Road, Lindbergh Boulevard, and Ballas Road.
Page Boulevard begins as a city street near midtown St. Louis continuing west and changing to Page Avenue at the city-county line. From here it travels through the suburbs of Wellston, Pagedale, Hanley Hills, Vinita Park, Overland, and Maryland Heights, Missouri. After its intersection with Lindbergh Boulevard, Page takes on the characteristics of a wide highway with stoplights at Westport Center Drive and Schuetz Road. West of Schuetz near Interstate 270 Page Avenue becomes Highway 364 and runs as a controlled-access highway through the communities of St. Charles, St. Peters, Cottleville, O'Fallon, and Lake St. Louis, Missouri, where it ends at Interstate 64.
Other major routes in St. Charles County include 1st Capitol Drive, 5th Street, Muegge Road, Mid Rivers Mall Drive, Mexico Road, and routes K and N.
Primary routes in the Metro East (Illinois) suburbs include Missouri Avenue, Kingshighway, St. Clair Avenue, Mississippi Avenue, Illinois Street, and Green Mount Road in St. Clair County. Major routes in Madison County include Edwardsville Road, Nameoki Road, Troy Road, University Drive, and Lewis and Clark Boulevard.
The Great River Road enters the region on Illinois Route 3 in the south and generally travels through the American Bottom. Eventually it joins Lewis and Clark Boulevard and then Berm Highway towards Alton, Illinois. North of Alton the Great River Road aligns with Illinois Route 100 and runs alongside the Mississippi River to Grafton before exiting the region.
Interstates and highways
Among the primary Interstates, Interstate 70 travels west to east through Warren, St. Charles, and St. Louis counties and the city of St. Louis, leaving Missouri over the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge into St. Clair County, Illinois. Interstate 55 travels south to north through Jefferson and St. Louis counties and the city of St. Louis, briefly merging with Interstate 44, then crossing the Poplar Street Bridge. Interstate 64's western terminus is in Wentzville, Missouri, at its interchange with I-70 and U.S. Route 61. From here it shares an alignment with U.S. Route 40 as it crosses into St. Louis County on the Daniel Boone Bridge and then continues through the city and crosses the Poplar Street Bridge with I-55. After entering East St. Louis, Illinois, I-64 splits off towards eastern St. Clair County and I-70 and I-55 share an alignment until they reach Troy, Illinois. From here I-55 continues north toward Chicago while I-70 continues east toward Indianapolis. I-44 enters the St. Louis region in Sullivan, Missouri, and runs eastward through Franklin and St. Louis counties, briefly merging with I-55 in the city of St. Louis, and terminating at I-70.
The "beltway" serving Greater St. Louis is the combination of Interstate 270 and Interstate 255, the former a mostly western bypass of St. Louis City. I-270 crosses into Illinois at the northern edge of the city on the New Chain of Rocks Bridge and continues through Madison County, Illinois, until ending at the I-55 and I-70 interchange near Troy. In southern St. Louis County, I-270 ends at the I-55 interchange near Mehlville, Missouri, where the roadway becomes I-255 and continues east across the Mississippi River on the Jefferson Barracks Bridge into Monroe County, Illinois. Here it turns north, traveling through St. Clair County until ending at I-270 in Madison County. Known locally as the "Inner Belt Expressway," Interstate 170 runs entirely within St. Louis County, traveling southerly from I-270 in Hazelwood to I-64 in Richmond Heights.
Other secondary highways in the area include Highway 141 (originally designed as a western "outer belt" to I-270) and highways 364 and 370 which serve suburban St. Charles County.
U.S. Route 50 enters Greater St. Louis near Gerald, eastward through Franklin County; at Union, it meets I-44, both continuing to Sunset Hills in St. Louis County. US 50, eastward, merges with US 61 and U.S. Route 67 (Lindbergh Boulevard). The US 50/US 61/US 67 concurrency continues to the I-55/I-255/I-270 interchange, where they follow I-255 across the Mississippi River. US 50 continues east through Monroe County into St. Clair County, traveling concurrently with I-64 into O'Fallon, where US 50 splits, continuing through Clinton County.
US 61 enters the region from the south, paralleling I-55 in Jefferson County, continuing to Festus where it travels concurrently with US 67. US 61/US 67 continues into St. Louis County until reaching the I-55/I-255/I-270 interchange, where US 61/US 67 follows Lindbergh Boulevard. US 61 continues north into Frontenac, where it joins westbound I-64. US 61 continues west through St. Louis County and into St. Charles County, then leaves I-64 in Wentzville and continues north into Lincoln County and beyond.
US 67 enters the region northbound in Farmington, Missouri, where it continues into Festus, traveling concurrently with US 61 and paralleling I-55. US 67 splits from US 61 in Frontenac with US 67 continuing north on Lindbergh Boulevard. At Missouri Route 367, US 67 turns north, crosses the Missouri River on the Lewis Bridge, before briefly entering St. Charles County and then crosses the Mississippi River on the Clark Bridge near Alton, Illinois and passes through Madison and Jersey counties before leaving the region.
The Greater St. Louis region is also served by several state highways that are listed in the table below. + InterstatesU.S. HighwaysMissouri State RoutesIllinois State Routes
Bridges, viaducts, and tunnels
The Greater St. Louis region is surrounded by rivers, creeks, and other tributaries requiring multiple bridges and viaducts to travel across the bi-state area. The largest of these bridges carry interstates across rivers while the smaller viaducts carry major local routes over creeks, railroads, and other obstructions. Missouri's only traffic tunnel carries Lindbergh Boulevard under Runway 11/29 at St. Louis-Lambert International Airport. +Major bridges, viaducts, and tunnels in Greater St. LouisMississippi RiverMissouri RiverViaducts Clark Bridge Eads Bridge Jefferson Barracks Bridge Martin Luther King Bridge McKinley Bridge New Chain of Rocks Bridge Old Chain of Rocks Bridge Poplar Street Bridge Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge Blanchette Memorial Bridge Daniel Boone Bridge Discovery Bridge Lewis Bridge Veterans Memorial Bridge Washington Bridge Creve Coeur Lake Grand Boulevard Jefferson Avenue South Kingshighway Third Street Tucker BoulevardTunnels Lindbergh Boulevard TunnelDemolished or closed Clark Bridge (1928) Daniel Boone Bridge (1937) Old Meramec River Bridge (1931) St. Charles Bridge (1904) Washington Bridge (1934) Bold indicates bridges and viaducts with dedicated facilities for pedestrians and/or bicycles.
Public transportation Bus
Local bus service in the greater St. Louis region is provided by MetroBus and Madison County Transit. MetroBus has 44 routes connecting destinations in the city of St. Louis and St. Louis County in addition to 14 routes connecting destinations in St. Clair County, Illinois. Madison County Transit has 18 local routes connecting destinations across Madison and St. Clair counties in Illinois and four express routes that provide service to downtown St. Louis.
As of 2025, Metro and the City of St. Louis are studying a potential bus rapid transit line along Jefferson Avenue.
Light rail
Fixed rail public transportation in the Greater St. Louis region is provided by the MetroLink light rail system (commonly referred to as "Metro"). Operated by Metro Transit in a shared fare system with MetroBus. All lines enter the city on its western edge north of Forest Park or on the Eads Bridge in downtown St. Louis from Illinois. The whole system operates in an independent right of way, with at-grade, elevated, and subway track in the region. All stations are independent entry and all platforms feature level boarding with trains. Rail service is provided by Metro Transit, an enterprise of the Bi-State Development Agency, and is funded by sales taxes levied in the city and St. Louis and St. Clair counties.
A extension of the Red Line from Shiloh-Scott to MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah broke ground in 2023 and is expected to be operational by 2026.
Loop Trolley
The Loop Trolley is a 2.2-mile (3.5 km), 10-station heritage streetcar line that runs from City Hall in University City to the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis' Forest Park. The line travels along Delmar Bouleverd through the popular Delmar Loop district and DeBaliviere Avenue between Delmar and Forest Park. The trolley has stops at both the Forest Park-DeBaliviere and Delmar Loop MetroLink stations. On February 18, 2022, Metro Transit's board voted to take over operation of the Loop Trolley after several financial setbacks and closures. Metro reopened the Loop Trolley for operation on August 4, 2022. On August 21, 2022, the East-West Gateway Council of Governments voted to award Metro a $1.26 million grant to continue to operate the trolley on a seasonal schedule for the next several years.
National connections