Infrastructure Policy Expert Eric Beightel Shares IIJA Funding Strategy with Cincinnati’s Realm Magazine

The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provided a historic investment in U.S. roads, bridges, transit, rail and much more. To help understand how the Cincinnati region could best benefit from this enormous growth in federal funding, we worked with the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber and local transportation agencies to create a customized funding strategy report.

Principal Infrastructure Policy and Environmental Strategist Eric Beightel spoke about the study recently with Realm Magazine.

Led by Beightel, our team connected with local stakeholders, analyzed potential projects, assessed their readiness for federal grants, prioritized representative projects and recommended next steps. Six major projects were identified as most competitive. They include two interstate interchanges, downtown Complete Streets and highway deck projects, electric vehicle charging infrastructure planning, and hiking and biking trails.

In the article, Beightel explained the competitive funding environment that cities and regions  face, and he stressed the importance of creating a coordinated and shared vision for a community. He emphasized how securing local commitments and matching funds can improve project readiness.

“Cincinnati is not unique,” he told the magazine. “These strategies could apply universally to complete other important projects.”

Read the whole article, “It’s an Opportunity to Think Big,” in the spring 2023 issue of Realm, from the Cincinnati Regional Chamber. And explore our IIJA and federal infrastructure policy resources.