Wayne County: Easy Access to Profitable Markets

Wayne County features a robust highway system covering some 499 lane miles. The backbone of our transportation network is four-lane US Route 30 running east-west through the center of the county with convenient access to I-71, I-76, and I-77. These routes further link to corridors 64, 70, 75, and 80. A series of well-maintained state routes traverse the area — 3, 57, 83, 94, 250, 539, and 585 — serving as connector roadways to residents and businesses located throughout the area.

Wayne County’s unique logistics provide a distinct competitive advantage to our industries. Major delivery services including Federal Express and United Parcel Service provide service throughout the county. There is also an extensive selection of trucking firms in the area, from contract haulers and heavy and light haulers to general motor freight.

Wayne County has over 100 miles of active rail within its borders providing local industry with a cost-effective means of accessing raw materials and transporting product. Local industries receiving direct rail service include JM Smucker, Morton Salt, Purina, and many more.

CSX, Norfolk Southern, RJ Corman, and Wheeling & Lake Erie provide rail service throughout Wayne County. Wheeling & Lake Erie — one of the nation's largest regional railways with multiple Class I railway connections — has a major node in Wayne County. Additionally, Wayne County is located within close proximity to three intermodal facilities within Northeast Ohio:

• Canadian National Railway Neomodal Intermodal Facility (20 miles)
• Norfolk Southern Maple Heights Intermodal Terminal (50 miles)
• CSX Collinwood Intermodal Terminal (60 miles)

Passenger and air cargo choices are convenient in Wayne County. In addition to locally operated Wayne County Airport, three major airports offering passenger and freight flights to domestic and international destinations are within 30 to 90 minutes of the area.

Wayne County Airport (5 miles) - Wayne County Airport in Smithville provides corporate and recreational flights and serves as a regional emergency medical services hub. It boasts a 5189 x 100 ft east/west runway and a 5189 x 35 ft taxiway.

Akron-Canton Airport (35 Miles) - For more than a decade, Akron-Canton Airport has offered the lowest average fare of any airport in the State of Ohio. Akron-Canton offers 90+ daily arrival and departure flights to 99+ international, 150+ one-stop, and 17 nonstop destinations.

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (55 miles) - Cleveland Hopkins International Airport serves more than 10 million passengers each year. It’s positioned within 500 miles of 43 percent of the U.S. population. Cleveland Hopkins offers 174 daily arrival and departure flights with over 53 non-stop flights that include San Francisco, Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Seattle, and New York.

John Glenn Columbus International Airport (80 miles) - Centrally located in the state capital, Port Columbus is primarily a passenger airport, providing 140+ destinations and 40+ non-stop flights daily.

Rickenbacker International Airport (102 miles) - Situated at the heart of the North American International Freight Center, Rickenbacker International Airport and its surrounding partners are a one-day truck drive to nearly half of the U.S. and one-third of the Canadian population. As one of the only cargo-focused airports in the world, it concentrates on moving cargo with speed and service to anywhere in the world.

Port of Cleveland on Lake Erie is approximately 50 miles from Wayne County. It is one of the largest ports on the Great Lakes with the best heavy lift capacity. Roughly 13 million tons of cargo move through it each year.

The docks have excellent connections to three major interstates — I-71, I-77, and I-90 —  as well as the Norfolk Southern and CSX railroad. Cleveland-Europe Express (CEE) offers a competitive advantage to Ohio companies because it is the only direct, scheduled vessel service moving containerized and non-containerized cargo between the Great Lakes and Europe. 

Ports of Columbiana County, located in East Liverpool, are approximately 80 miles from Wayne County. They handle 15 million tons of cargo annually, the most on the Ohio River. The Ohio River accounts for over one-third of the maritime cargo moving inland in the United States each year (approximately 275 million tons), and by comparison, handles more cargo per year than the Panama Canal. The port system of Columbiana County provides year-round international cargo service via the Ports of New Orleans and Southwest Louisiana.