As National Transportation Week approaches May 18–24, the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments is marking a milestone that has reshaped daily life for more than 2.1 million residents across Greater Cincinnati — $1.27 billion invested in regional infrastructure since 2002.
OKI officials say that investment has helped create a stronger, safer and more connected transportation network serving communities across eight counties.
“More and more residents of this region are becoming aware that OKI is delivering projects that shape our communities and culture,” said OKI CEO Mark Policinski. “Every dollar we have invested can be seen in all aspects of people’s daily lives. These funds have meant safer commutes, more reliable transit and stronger economic connections for the citizens who live and work across our region.”
If you’ve walked or biked a trail, boarded a bus, crossed a bridge, circled a roundabout, or driven the I-71/MLK Interchange — or countless other roads — you’ve benefited from OKI’s six decades of shaping Greater Cincinnati’s transportation network.
“Whether it’s an interstate corridor, a neighborhood street, or a multi‑use trail, our decisions continue to reflect a responsibility to the entire region,” Policinski said. “We’re focused on ensuring every community benefits from a transportation network that supports growth and opportunity. More than anything else, we’re a service organization and we never, ever forget that promise.”
Federally mandated and funded, OKI serves as the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for southwest Ohio — including Butler, Hamilton, Warren and Clermont counties — southeast Indiana’s Dearborn County, and Northern Kentucky’s Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties.
With a 118-member board representing eight counties across three states, OKI annually approves roughly $400 million in transportation projects and directly invests between $50 million and $80 million into regional infrastructure.
Remarkably, given today’s fractious political climate, every vote since 2003 has been unanimous.
“What makes OKI’s work distinctive isn’t just the scale of our investment, but the way decisions are made,” said OKI Board President Josh Gerth. “Across eight counties and three states, our board has maintained a shared commitment to regional thinking and consensus.”
Gerth, in his second term as board president, said this degree of unity “allows us to rise above borders and politics and focus on what truly matters, and that is advancing projects that serve the long-term interests of the people and communities we represent.”
Since 2002, OKI-funded projects have strengthened nearly every aspect of the region’s transportation network.
Major investments include more than $293 million for roadway widening and relocation, $292 million for traffic operations and safety improvements, and more than $217 million to enhance public transit. OKI has also directed more than $189 million toward bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, along with additional funding for maintenance and reconstruction, bridge and culvert replacements, intelligent transportation systems, freight needs, access management, and planning studies.
“The breadth of these investments tells the real story,” Policinski said. “From bike and pedestrian networks to bridge replacements, freight corridors, intelligent transportation systems, and the day‑to‑day maintenance that keeps our region moving, OKI has consistently delivered where it matters. Together, these commitments reflect our long‑standing mission to strengthen connectivity and fuel the region’s growth.”
That mission plays out in both high‑profile projects, such as the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project — where OKI’s traffic data has informed critical decisions — and in quieter but equally meaningful investments, like multi‑use paths in Crescent Springs, Ky.
OKI’s influence also extends to major economic development hubs such as CVG Airport, where it has invested $40 million in road widening, traffic safety, and pedestrian infrastructure. The agency also played a pivotal role in securing $25 million for the I‑71/MLK Interchange, a critical access point to the University of Cincinnati and surrounding medical and innovation districts.
MPOs like OKI were created to ensure that federal transportation funds move directly to regions — not through state offices — giving local leaders authority to shape investments that reflect community priorities. Because of that structure, OKI holds final say over every federal surface transportation dollar spent in the region.
And while OKI has that authority, its member communities drive every decision. Every seed of a project that OKI supports begins with a local village, city, township, county or transit agency. The entire investment strategy is built from the community level up and never imposed from the federal level down.
Since its founding in 1964, OKI has become one of the most decorated MPOs in the nation. The Federal Highway Administration has awarded the agency 30 commendations for innovation and leadership since 2003, and its funding prioritization process is regarded as a national best practice.
During the agency’s most recent review in 2024, an FTA official summed up OKI’s performance, emphasizing the assessment with clear praise: “OKI continues to set a standard for metropolitan planning organizations nationwide.”
Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments