Transportation
Transportation development and improvement can be fundamental to the economic success of a community or region; the PACE team has extensive experience supporting public agencies and private stakeholders in securing federal funding, agency decisions, and Congressional support for projects and agency actions. We have developed exceptionally successful strategies to secure
congressionally-directed funding, generally known as earmarks, and have led successful efforts to win substantial competitive grants.
The transportation industry is one of the most regulated sectors in the US economy. PACE has had broad experience with numerous transportation sectors, where our clients have faced a multitude of complex issues before the House and Senate Committees of jurisdiction, as well as the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Transportation development and improvement can be fundamental to the economic success of a community or region; the PACE team has extensive experience supporting public agencies and private stakeholders in securing federal funding, agency decisions, and Congressional support for projects and agency actions. We have developed exceptionally successful strategies to secure congressionally-directed funding, generally known as earmarks, and have led successful efforts to win substantial competitive grants.
Select Accomplishments for Clients in the Transportation Sector:
PACE developed and implemented a successful two-year strategy to help a client secure a competitive $98.4 million federal highway grant. Working with the client’s delegation in the House, we secured letters of support for the application; generated lawmaker interactions with the Secretary of Transportation during congressional committee hearings; leveraged staff familiarity with the region to motivate regular input to the Department of Transportation; and, when learning the application was under final consideration, motivate lawmakers to call senior Department officials. Ultimately, the project was selected and will provide a regional improvement in highway safety, traffic reduction, and economic development.
PACE coordinated a multi-agency approach to secure congressionally directed funding in support of a regional transportation authority’s long-term goals. We engaged with the client’s delegation in Congress early, developed a menu of possible projects. To date, this strategy has secured inclusion $22 million in federal appropriations bills to support an array of projects within the authority’s jurisdiction.
Recognizing that rural communities struggle to compete in federal transportation grant programs, PACE motivated collaboration between a client’s technical experts, congressional members and staff of both parties, and other stakeholders to develop legislation creating a rural set-aside for regions with significant agricultural production. The proposal was introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers from across the country, with the goal of inclusion in the next federal highway reauthorization bill.
