Speaking

Over the past four years, Central Ohio has been preparing for a major, $20+ billion economic development in a growing, exurban part of the region. With the state managing over $90 million in infrastructure improvements to support the project, improvements on the local, largely rural, transportation network are also needed. This session will explore how a collaborative framework led by the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Columbus, Ohio region, has facilitated the coordination of the many impacted jurisdictions to identify, prioritize and plan for the infrastructure improvement projects on the local network. Attendees will go behind the scenes of a complex planning effort that synchronized the interests of multiple local and regional jurisdictions with the strategic investments of the state Department of Transportation (DOT).

Participants will gain insights into the four pillars of this successful model:

1. Shared Visioning & Data Alignment: How the MPO acted as a neutral convener, using data-driven forecasting to align local goals with state-level freight and mobility projects.
2. The Stakeholder Engagement Matrix: How the MPO worked with the Ohio DOT to organize and engage multidisciplinary stakeholders across an impact area spanning multiple counties, MPOs/Regional Transportation Organizations (RTPOs) and municipalities for intentional and meaningful coordination.
3. Fiscal Diplomacy: Strategies for layering funding sources, including local contributions, MPO-allocated federal funds and state-level discretionary grants, to create a robust and resilient capital improvement plan.
4. The Replication Blueprint: How the collaboration structure—composed of stakeholder groups and executive leadership—transitioned from a one-off project task force into a "Collaboration Playbook" now being deployed across other high-growth areas in the region.

This session is designed for planners, engineers and economic development professionals looking for a tangible roadmap to break down silos. Participants will leave with a new perspective on how the MPO can serve as the "connective tissue" between local aspirations and state-wide systems.