The terrain along Interstate 64, heading into O’Fallon from the east, could someday look quite different. Vast stretches of fertile farmland could give way to warehousing and logistical operations. People accustomed to heading into town for work may instead find jobs on the outskirts. A community visited by fortune unlike almost any other in Metro East in the last 20 years could reap the benefits of more to come because of its location. O’Fallon and St. Clair County are banking heavily on growth in the corridor marked by the empty land around and between two Interstate 64 exits.
One is Exit 19, the access for Illinois Route 158, the main way into Scott Air Force Base, Southwestern Illinois’ biggest employer. The other is new Exit 21 at Rieder Road, about two miles to the east, another way into the air base and to MidAmerica St.Louis Airport.