The Knox County population is projected to see substantial growth increasing to just under 70,000 people by 2050, a Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission representative told the Board of Commissioners on April 2.
This projection highlights anticipated growth in the region and raises questions about infrastructure, transportation, and economic development planning for the coming decades.
"A lot of the work that we really focus on is related to growth, but we don't just want to grow bigger. We want to grow better and smarter. You'll see, by 2050 will be a region of about 3.1 million people," MORPC Chief Strategy Officer Joseph Garrity told the Board of Commissioners about the 15-county region, according to a video recording of the meeting.
Garrity said MORPC has been leading on passenger rail over the past five years. He said two different routes in Ohio would impact the region. The first route is being led by the Ohio Rail Development Commission to connect Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati. The other route MORPC is working on in partnership with the City of Fort Wayne to connect Chicago, Fort Wayne, Columbus, and Pittsburgh. Both routes have moved to the second phase of the Federal Rail Administration's quarter identification program. MORPC plans to put together a service development plan allowing the regional agency to look at how fast these routes could go and where stations would be.
Garrity also addressed funding opportunities for these projects. He said they plan to work with federal grants and noted that a private sector company called Brightline is interested in potential investment in Ohio. Routes have not been chosen yet but proposals go north and west of Knox County. Existing rail lines are being considered as well. Garrity said that bike lanes constructed on old rail line routes will not be affected by these proposals.
Additionally, Garrity reported that MORPC recently won a $4.8 million grant for safety improvements through Safe Streets and Roads for ALL. Mount Vernon received $820,000 for SR 13 intersection improvements and sidewalk project; Centerburg received $451,600; Fredericktown received $557,600. Garrity expects further funding for SR 13 improvements as it addresses truck routes through Mount Vernon.
Garrity said MORPC has many economic development tools available and described recent meetings with Reps. Troy Balderson and Jim Jordan as well as both U.S. Senators from Ohio in Washington D.C., where they discussed competitive advantage projects impacting infrastructure and economic development. He added that different funding opportunities are available including Congressional directed spending and competitive grants: "MORPC staff members were able to give the congressional delegation an idea of the projects in their districts that could impact economic development." Garrity said the U.S. Department of Transportation told them they were "the only region that does this."
