Project

EBP Helps Kentucky Win INFRA Grant for Rural Highway

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) recently won a $55 million US Department of Transportation Infrastructure For Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant  with help from an EBP economic analysis.

The grant will help the KYTC upgrade a section of the Mountain Parkway that passes through Appalachian Eastern Kentucky. To support KYTC’s INFRA application, EBP conducted a benefit-cost analysis (BCA) that included both the typical costs and benefits required by Federal guidance and, through collaboration with Qk4 and KYTC, incorporated other benefits to more clearly articulate the value of this linkage to the rest of the region. By conducting a survey of businesses that rely on the Mountain Parkway and developing a method to capture regional quality of life improvements including better access to jobs and education, we enabled KYTC to make a compelling case to USDOT for awarding the state this INFRA grant.