Transportation Overview

Ottawa is located at the junction of two great rivers ( the Illinois and the Fox) and is conveniently located near two important highways – Interstate 80 ( which runs east to west along the city’s northern edge) and Interstate 39 ( a north-south route that stretches between Rockford and Bloomington, Illinois). U.S. Highway 6 and Illinois routes 23 and 71 crisscross the community, providing links with nearby cities and towns in the Illinois Valley Area.

Three agribusiness barge terminals in Ottawa serve the area’s burgeoning farm economy. Forty-five common carriers meet the transportation needs of the city’s manufactures. In addition, industry is served by two railroads – CSX and Illinois Railway.

For air travel, O’Hare International and Chicago’s Midway Airport are only 90 minutes from Ottawa. The Illinois Valley Regional Airport is about 15 miles west of Ottawa. It has a 6000-foot lighted, hard surface runway and ground transportation to O’Hare and Midway airports. Ottawa’s own 5,000 – foot airport, Skydive Chicago, is the base for locally owned aircraft.

Ottawa also has City bus service as well as convenient taxi service.