Central Location, Transportation Modes Connect Region to the World

Central Louisiana has the intermodal capabilities to meet any business or personal need. An ideal distribution hub to service a marketplace of 38 million consumers, the area is served by Interstate, US and State Highways, a navigable river system, an international airport, rail and fiber optics for telecommunications.

England Industrial AirPark and Community has become recognized worldwide as a prime example military base reuse. The AirPark is now the location of Alexandria International Airport. The airport features a 24 hour manned control tower and a 9500 foot runway, capable of handling any of today’s large aircraft, both military or civilian.

The Central Louisiana area is currently served by four major airlines: Atlantic Southeast Airlines, American Eagle, Northwest Airlink, and Continental Express connecting to Houston, Atlanta, Memphis and Dallas.

Our international and smaller improved fields serve a high volume of private, corporate, charter and military aviation, as well. Other airports in the region include: Pineville Municipal, Esler Field, and the Pollock Airport. These facilities primarily handle small or private planes.

Esler Field is controlled by the Louisiana National Guard.  This airport still serves as a municipal field for private planes. 

Million Air operates the Fixed Base Operator at England meeting the needs of private airplane and helicopter owners as well as providing fueling and defueling services for the airport.

Alexandria is serviced by both Kansas City Southern and Union Pacific railroads. The switching yard serves as the focal point for rail transportation in Louisiana. Rail spurs are located at the Alexandria Regional Port and England AirPark as well as several other industrial sites.

The Alexandria Regional Port and the Port of Natchitoches are part of the Red River Waterway system. The river travels from Shreveport south to Old River where it joins the Mississippi River and the Atchafalaya River system. Both ports are adjacent to local industrial parks.

The Alexandria Regional Port also features a 40-ton overhead bridge crane, a fuel dock, and a fertilizer and bulk handling facility operated by Terral RiverService. The Port recently participated in a record setting equipment move for the U. S. Army. The Port of Natchitoches is just a short distance from I-49 and has direct rail access to the Kansas City Southern Railroad. It also has the distinction of being the only slack water port on the river.

Central Louisiana is connected to its southern neighbors by interstate, U. S., state and local highways. Interstate 49 connects to Interstate 20 at Shreveport and Interstate 10 at Lafayette. This north-south corridor permits travelers to remain on interstate highways from New Orleans to Shreveport.

Interstate 49 which is 212 miles long, is one of the nation’s longest interstates beginning and ending in the same state. It has also become an important route for traveling east and west by providing access to the central corridors of U. S. Highway 190 and Louisiana Highway 28.

Plans are underway to extend I-49 north into Arkansas and south to connect with Highway 90, offering interstate access to New Iberia and Houma.

Louisiana Highway 28 is an integral part of the Gulf Coast Strategic Highway. This route traverses 560 miles, beginning at I-45 in Bryan, Texas, crosses Louisiana, Mississippi and ends at the Alabama state line. By traveling this route, drivers avoid the heavy congestion along I-10.

Louisiana Highway 28 and U. S. Highways 165 and 167 are included in the state’s current TIMED project. These roads are being upgraded to four-lane roadways to better handle commercial traffic.

Fiber Optic cable runs through Central Louisiana and right through the heart of Alexandria. Currently there are several companies retailing fiber services in the area, including BellSouth, ITC Delta Com, CoStreet Communications, and Network USA. Fiber accessibility is increasing as more rings are being established throughout Alexandria. 

This high speed telecommunications capability, along with the existing DSL connections, ISDN connections, T-1 and T-3 connections and cable modem accessibility will afford many new opportunities to both existing and new businesses.

Aside from providing cable service, SuddenLink offers both businesses and residents cable modem access and is looking forward to offering digital telephony to expand its offerings to the business community.

Highway Time Distance from Alexandria