Transportation

Prioritization Process

Each year, OKI evaluates the criteria used to rank and prioritize transportation funding requests for projects within the Metropolitan Transportation Plan. On occasion, updates are made to improve project selections and to advance long-range planning objectives, such as SRPP policy recommendations. In recent years the following advancements have been made as SRPP policy recommendations were considered:

• A new economic development criterion was added to factor the number of jobs located within a half mile of a proposed project, while considering any new job creation and/or real capital investment resulting from the built project within the project area.
• The criteria used for considering a local comprehensive plan was updated to better award plans that more directly connect project contemplation into the comprehensive plan.
• A new criterion regarding utilization of technology in projects was added. Points are now available for projects that use technology to improve transportation, mobility, and/or infrastructure life. This criterion was developed to encourage implementation of more innovative and integrated technologies in transportation solutions.

Regional Tourism Assets

In 2019 and 2023, OKI consulted with state and local tourism and visitors bureaus across the region to identify regionally significant assets and to discuss current and anticipated transportation facility needs. The information gathered was incorporated into the 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan and will be expanded during plan updates.

Climate Action Planning – ThriveTogether

With funding from the US EPA, OKI is leading a regional partnership to prepare a climate action plan through 2025 called ThriveTogether – A Sustainability Playbook for Greater Cincinnati. This plan includes emission reduction planning in several sectors, including transportation. Improving alternatives to driving — such as Increasing transit usage while reducing single occupant vehicle usage — is a strategy of this planning effort. Improving transportation for all users, specifically low-income and disadvantaged households, is another strategy of this work.

Guidance and Technical Assistance

OKI Regional Planning Forum

OKI convenes professional planners, non-profit organizational representatives, and other experts working to improve our collective future from across the region. The unified goal is to share information in a Regional Planning Forum. The forum features a variety of topics that help inform participants about the issues and policy recommendations in the How Do We Grow from Here? Plan. The purpose of the forum is to create a regional outlet for sharing information, experience and expertise among planners and those in related disciplines so that we can provide the best possible quality of life for those who live and work in our region.

SORTA’s Regional Paratransit Plan

SORTA has led regional efforts to prepare and begin a regional paratransit plan. OKI has supported this effort through staff participation, partner engagement and by providing resources from the OKI 5310 Coordinated Planning process.

A product of this plan includes the Regional Mobility Options Guide. The guide was produced by SORTA and developed collaboratively by transportation providers, human service agencies, OKI and the Ohio Department of Transportation to ensure a comprehensive and accessible resource for the community.

OKI Freight Plan

In 2023, OKI adopted the current OKI Freight Plan. This plan is a systematic examination of current and future conditions related to the movement of goods in, out and within the region across all five freight modes (road, rail, river, air and pipeline) and the surface transportation recommendations and investments needed to ensure its continued performance and regional benefit to 2050. This plan recognizes the potential of technological advancements as we look to the challenges for the future of freight movement demand, including the gradual introduction of autonomous delivery vehicles. AVs are being touted for their potential to improve safety and efficiency; increase multimodal interconnectivity with river transport (as freight volumes increase to ensure reliability as water levels are less predictable); vertical take-off and landing capabilities at local airfields (for increasing their potential role in last-mile parcel delivery); and larger pipeline capacity needs, as cleaner, more environmentally sustainable resources are demanded across residential, commercial and industrial land uses.

OKI continues to provide technical support as appropriate to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) as they work to improve energy efficiencies of their internal mobility systems and plan for the future utilization of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF). This includes supporting federal grant proposals to advance these technologies.

OKI Regional Transit Agency Convening

OKI convenes transit agency leadership periodically through the year to provide a forum for discussion, sharing, and ongoing collaboration among the agencies. OKI passes along Federal 5307 transit planning funding to each agency and continues a regular dialogue with the agencies as annual planning activities are occurring.