Spokane is a critical access point for transportation, telecommunications and utilities in the Inland Northwest.

The region is readily connected to the global marketplace with north-south and east-west rail, highway infrastructure and an international airport.  The region’s unique geography makes it a direct route to productivity and profit.

Interstate 90 is a major commute and travel route for eastern Spokane County and North Idaho with traffic volumes exceeding 100,000 vehicles per day. I-90 is a Strategic Freight Corridor because of the international and domestic interstate and intrastate trade that it carries.

Spokane is served by Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad.  We are on the direct lines for both railroads from Seattle to Chicago, serving as a gateway to and from the interior U.S. and the Pacific Rim, with efficient east/west access and reciprocal switching capabilities that only a few regions nationwide can offer.

Spokane International Airport is a 4,800 acre commercial service airport served by ten airlines and three air cargo carriers.  The airport processed 3.2 million passengers and 57,000 U.S. air cargo tons in 2006.  It is the second largest airport in the State of Washington and is recognized by the FAA as a small hub. Two other local facilities are managed by the SIA board and include Felts Field and The Airport Business Park. SIA recently completed over $70 million in construction activities and upgrades.

Spokane’s telecommunications infrastructure is quite robust with digital switches, fiber and redundancy in place throughout the business community.  Five companies offer dial tone, with individual fiber networks.  Over 500 miles of dark and lit fiber has been deployed in the region.

Spokane businesses benefit from low cost hydropower, which is a clean, renewable and economic source of energy.  The Spokane region offers some of the most competitive energy costs in the nation, with natural gas provided by a single private utility, and electricity provided by both publicly-owned and privately-owned utilities.