Bipartisan Infrastructure bill set to bring some $20 million in federal funds, and more jobs, to region

On Nov. 15, President Joe Biden signed into law the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure bill, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Ohio can expect to receive an estimated $13 million more in infrastructure funding, and Kentucky can expect to get an added $6 million, around $20 million total, explained Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments Chief Executive Officer Mark Policinski.

He explained that locally, the extra funds will be distributed using OKI’s ongoing application process.

“Anyone who wants some of the money – normally we give out $50 million, so we’ll actually be giving out more, they make applications for these funds, and we have a prioritization process, which by the way has been judged best in the United States, and so the projects compete against each other; we have only so much money,” he said, noting that OKI typically receives funding requests that total two to three times that of the funding available.

“We put [the project applications] through this very strenuous qualitative and quantitative analysis, and then we simply say, ‘OK, this project is number one and it takes this amount of money, and this project is number two and it takes this amount of money, until we run out of money,” Policinski added.

He noted that there is no set quota to approve any particular type of project – roads, bridges, etc. – in any particular part of the state.

“Every year, everybody stands on their own,” Policinski explained.

The IIJA places a particular importance on getting projects done.

“What this bill is trying to do for the first time in decades is for Congress to put money where their mouth is, and so they put a lot of money into this program, and that’s why, when they talk about projects of significance, they’re talking about big projects, like the Brent Spence Bridge,” he said. “[S]maller projects will also have a place at the table; the simple fact is, the remarkable part of the bill is that Congress has reversed decades of not doing their duty, and they’re trying to get it right.”

Policinski gave thanks to Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, who helped negotiate the package.

Looking ahead to the application timeline and local jurisdictions’ readiness to submit projects for funding, Policinski said that Clermont County has done an outstanding job of prioritizing its projects, figuring out which ones have the greatest impact on the residents and on the region, because, as he put it, Clermont County is a really important part of the region when you consider that it’s the entrance of state Route 32, and Interstate-275 sits within the county.

“OKI believes that so many of the projects in Clermont County really have been important for the entire region, as well as for folks living in Clermont County,” he said.

Policinski, who has worked at OKI for 18 years, said that the IIJA recognizes the importance of infrastructure, which is even more important in an increasingly global economy.

“Our competitors are not around the corner; our competitors are on different continents, and in a global economy, one of the determinants of being successful or not is how efficiently you can move goods to, from and around your region, or around your state, or around your country,” he said.

For residents and commuters, Policinski said that the IIJA represents a future with better roads, which means increased safety.

“We can talk all we want about economic development, and this is a huge part of why we need infrastructure, but the most important thing is that we’ll have safer roads, we’ll have safer bridges, and that is the primary responsibility of all government, is to make the citizens safe,” he said. “When you add on top of that the importance of competing in a global economy, it’s going to mean more jobs in this region.”

He added, “It’s a big deal. It’s going to make peoples’ lives better, and it’s going to make our economy stronger.”