The Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership has released the region’s first-ever, prioritized list of regional interstate projects, marking the first time the region has developed a prioritized list of transportation projects. Regional leaders will use the list to lobby for infrastructure funding at the state level.

In all, 13 projects are included on the list, which was developed by the region’s 10 local economic development organizations (LEDOs). The projects were segmented into three tiers in order of priority. Topping the list in Tier 1 are improvements to sections of US 30, US 33 and US 6.

The LEDO Council, comprised of all 10 LEDOs in the region, in addition to the Mayors’ and Commissioners’ Caucus and Regional Chamber of Northeast Indiana have endorsed the list.

“Knowing where our transportation infrastructure needs stand today gives us a common voice for advocating for resources at the state level to support those projects that have the greatest economic impact on Northeast Indiana,” said David Koenig, executive director of the Steuben County Economic Development Corporation. “Recognizing that these projects can have a significant impact on the growth of the entire region is one example of how the region is invested in our collective success.”

The prioritized list is the result of efforts through the Vision 2020 initiative, spearheaded by the Regional Partnership. Vision 2020 focuses on creating economic growth in key areas like infrastructure, which is why Regional Interstate Access became a key priority of the initiative.

“Each project has close connectivity to Northeast Indiana’s transportation corridors and has strong proximity to existing business and industry as well as sites planned for future development,” said Andy Brooks, president of Brooks Construction Co., Inc. and chair of the Vision 2020 Infrastructure Taskforce, which development the qualified metrics used to segment the project list. “We know that the projects will take time to develop and implement, but the assessment will help us prioritize which projects to concentrate on as funding becomes available.”

The regional interstate project list can be found in the Resource Center on the Partnership’s Vision 2020 website.

The Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership was formed in 2006 to help build a globally competitive economy in Northeast Indiana. It is a public-private partnership focused on generating business leads and building regional capacity through product development and effective regional collaboration. The Northeast Indiana Fund (Fund) was created in 2005 to operate as a supporting organization of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, focused specifically on product development and regional collaboration. In 2010, the Partnership launched Vision 2020 to bring the region together around five key areas for economic growth: 21st Century Talent, Competitive Business Climate, Entrepreneurship, Infrastructure and Quality of Life. Through its combined efforts in business development and capacity building, the Partnership supports its 10 member counties: Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells and Whitley counties. For more information, visit www.NEIndiana.com.