The Private Sector Infrastructure Council addresses the region’s surface transportation challenges and facilitates planning, development and implementation.
By Scott Schnuck
As the economic development catalyst for the region, the RCGA is interested in all issues that impact the region’s ability to attract and retain businesses. Infrastructure is an essential element of the region’s economic development strategy. Transportation is consistently ranked as a top issue that concerns both residents and business leaders in our region. The region’s surface transportation system (i.e roads, bridges and transit) must be attractive to prospective employers now, not 20 or 30 years in the future; otherwise the region will lose economic opportunities and jobs.
To facilitate infrastructure planning, development and implementation, the RCGA is promoting private sector involvement, through its Private Sector Infrastructure Council (PSI Council). The PSI Council addresses the region’s surface transportation challenges that impede regional economic development. The Council agenda focuses on a transportation system that will constitute a strategic asset for economic growth. Inherently, this agenda includes a heavy emphasis on preserving the region’s existing infrastructure to accomplish these goals. The PSI Council agenda will convey the private sector position concerning regional priorities for surface transportation in the near term.
The PSI Council agenda includes both roads & bridges as well as transit priorities for the region. These two sets of priorities were developed to achieve the following overall objective:
“Infrastructure that is equal to or superior to our competitor regions in cost and performance, providing a strategic asset for economic growth and enhancing the region’s quality of life.”
To accomplish this objective the surface transportation system must:
- accommodate the movement of goods and materials,
- provide access to major destinations
- invest in preservation of existing infrastructure as well as new capacity.
These three objectives have been the basis of PSI’s initial 10-year agenda. The list of priorities for the next decade with corresponding cost estimates was developed as a framework for the private sector involvement to maintain perspective and focus on those projects that meet this criteria. The rolling 10-year set of priorities may change through time; however, the continuity lies in the criteria and the niche we have defined—economic development.
The Infrastructure Initiative formalized the RCGA’s involvement with the development of the PSI Council recruiting two in-house engineers, Freeman McCullah and Barbara Frost, as full-time support for the private sector involvement. Initially the focus will be on surface transportation, but in the year ahead plans will be developed for the logistics of incorporating other aspects of infrastructure into the agenda such as ports, telecommunication and freight.
Overall Objective:
“Infrastructure that is equal to or superior to our competitor regions in cost and performance, providing a strategic asset for economic growth and enhancing the region’s quality of life.”
The PSI Council advocacy is three pronged:
1. Private Sector Involvement
The PSI Council develops this private sector perspective of transportation needs in order to provide organized and focused input to the East-West Gateway metropolitan planning process, which prioritizes and funds the region’s transportation projects in a rolling three-year program.
2. Regional Funding and Project Financing
The PSI Council identifies opportunities for increased funding to accomplish these transportation priorities through innovative funding solutions and an overall increase of investment to the region. The private sector can offer their business expertise by facilitating the implementation of a variety of funding solutions.
3. Program Implementation
The PSI Council represents an advocacy group of private sector leaders to advance projects from ‘need’ to construction. The PSI Council works in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Transportation, Illinois Department of Transportation, Bi-State Development Agency and East-West Gateway Coordinating Council to support and expedite the advancement of the priority projects in the agenda. The private sector can assist project development with timely civic involvement.
