Get ahead of the curve at the Transportation Summit! 

Are you ready to dive into the future of transportation to see if you're truly up to speed? 

 

Join regional leaders in planning, engineering, and construction at TMACOG’s 2025 Transportation Summit, where you’ll learn about technology, trends, and projects that are improving the safety and efficiency of Northwest Ohio’s regional transportation network. 

 

Don’t wait until it’s too late to reserve your spot! Click here to register. 

 

Transportation experts will help you feel like an insider by sharing their latest news and project updates during three sessions: 

 

Roadway Construction Roundup: Get the inside scoop on how road projects being built across the region this summer will make our transportation network safer and more efficient. 

 

Regional Trends and Topics: Hear updates on transportation trends in the western Lake Erie region, including walking and biking infrastructure and passenger rail. Speakers from several organizations will share insight on upcoming projects and regional developments. 

 

Smart Solutions: The Impact of Innovative Materials & Methods: Experts from Foundation Steel, Ohio Concrete, and the Transportation Research Center will discuss cutting-edge technologies aimed at driving down construction costs, enhancing safety and sustainability, and accelerating project timelines.

 

Professional development credit is available. For more information, contact Raj Nagisetty: nagisetty@tmacog.org  

 

Thanks to the supporters of the 2025 Transportation Summit:  

• Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. 
• Colliers Engineering & Design   
• DGL Consulting Engineers   
• FirstEnergy   
• Fishbeck   
• Northern Concrete Pipe, Inc.   
• OHM Advisors   
• The Mannik & Smith Group, Inc.   
• Turner Concrete Products 

Representing the region in Washington 

Sandy Spang and Marissa Bechstein represented TMACOG on Capitol Hill as members of the Toledo Regional Alliance met last week with elected officials and agency leaders to advocate for federal policy and funding priorities.  

 

This group went to Washington, D.C. with a unified message – that Northwest Ohio is a great place to build a family, a business, a career, and housing, water, and transportation infrastructure projects that will help our economy flourish. They carried a document, A Great Place to Build, that outlines the projects and policies they highlighted during meetings with Northwest Ohio legislators and staff, including U.S. Reps. Bob Latta and Marcy Kaptur and U.S. Sens. Jon Husted and Bernie Moreno. 

 

Alliance members also discussed how projects align with priorities of the new presidential administration during meetings at the Departments of Transportation, Energy, Labor, and Commerce, as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), and the White House. 

 

The EDA was of particular interest for Spang and Bechstein as they develop TMACOG’s new Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, a precursor to creating a regional Economic Development District that will unlock new federal funding opportunities. Establishing an EDD is a major priority of the region’s federal agenda. 

 

Click here to view more photos from the Toledo Regional Alliance fly-in to Washington. 

Register now for free water operations and infrastructure training

TMACOG and the Great Lakes Rural Community Assistance Partnership are offering a full day of free, hands-on training focused on drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater operations. 

 

This Field Day for Water and Wastewater Operators is set for Tuesday, May 20 at the Veterans Memorial Building and City Park in Bowling Green. 

 

Priority registration is available for TMACOG member organizations. Secure spots for your staff now before the event opens to organizations outside the region next week! 

 

Click here to access registration.

  

This is an excellent opportunity for facility operators and staff who work with infrastructure to earn up to 6 continuing education credits to maintain professional licensure. 

 

Best of all, this event is completely free, including lunch!  

 

Courses are tailored for each profession and offer additional flex choices based on your interests. Topics will focus on both water and wastewater issues, such as cybersecurity, backflow prevention, valve exercises, hydrant flushing, service line material identification, water audits, green infrastructure, and more. 

 

Participants will also have the get to tour Bowling Green’s drinking water or wastewater facilities (limited space will be provided to those who register first). 

 

Thanks to TMACOG’s 2025 Annual Supporters: 

• Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. 
• Colliers Engineering & Design   
• DGL Consulting Engineers   
• FirstEnergy   
• Fishbeck   
• OHM Advisors   
• The Mannik & Smith Group, Inc.   

Native plants enhance your garden and the environment 

Spring is the perfect time to consider using native plants in your garden! 

 

Plants that are native to our region have adapted to thrive in local conditions, making them easier to maintain and helpful for the environment.  

 

Native plants help balance your soil, reduce erosion, and manage runoff during heavy rains. They act as natural filters for both water and air, absorbing nutrients before they enter waterways and contribute to harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie. Once established, native plants require little or no fertilizer and support local wildlife, including pollinators that are a crucial part of our ecosystems. 

 

Do you have a low-lying area that collects water? Native plants can help there, too, as a part of rain gardens that manage drainage, filter pollutants, and attract butterflies, songbirds, and other wildlife. 

 

With more than 2,000 species of native plants in Ohio, there are plenty of options to consider. You can learn more from Lake Erie Starts Here Northwest Ohio, an initiative of the TMACOG Stormwater Coalition designed to educate the public on ways everyone can help protect water quality in our region.  

 

Click here to get a list of local options for native plants, including black-eyed Susans, Virginia bluebells, milkweed, and more! 

 

Follow Lake Erie Starts Here Northwest Ohio on Facebook and Instagram to get tips on seasonal topics throughout the year. 

Ohio’s new transportation budget includes funding for U.S. 23 bypass plan 

 

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine last week signed a new two-year state transportation budget that includes $500,000 to create a plan to construct a bypass to relieve congestion on U.S. 23 north of Columbus and connect Northwest Ohio with the state capital. 

 

TMACOG and partners including the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce worked with legislators from both parties to advocate for a bypass connecting Route 23 to Interstate 71 as an alternative to the challenging plan to improve Route 23 that a state study identified as the long-term plan for the corridor. 

 

TMACOG leaders and state legislators from across the region worked together to analyze the proposed Route 23 plan, highlight its many challenges, and advocate for adoption of the much-needed bypass.

 

Northwest Ohio’s legislators took up the fight to propose a successful amendment to the transportation budget bill, directing the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission to create preliminary engineering options for a bypass by October 1, 2025. 

 

Click here to read more.

Comment on TMACOG’s next regional transportation plan

 

TMACOG is accepting public comment through May 22 on Moving Forward 2055, a 30-year regional transportation plan that identifies the investments and resources needed to create a multimodal transportation system that is safe, efficient, and accessible. 

 

TMACOG is responsible for coordinating and maintaining the plan as the region’s designated Metropolitan Planning Organization. 

 

A meeting in Toledo on Wednesday, April 16 offers the opportunity to provide in-person comment on the plan. You can also share input online, learn more about the plan, and access documents at https://tmacog.org/transportation/regional-transportation-plan 

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