WSW Secures Essential Economic Development Funding for Rural County

In Brief

Secured a highly competitive $18.5 million USDOT grant, successfully positioning the project as one of only 46 selected from a pool of 828 applicants nationwide.
Developed a large-scale, regional coalition of public and private sector partners, creating a unified and persuasive case for federal investment to resolve freight bottlenecks in an economically depressed region.
Executed a successful dual-track funding strategy, winning the major competitive grant while also securing annual appropriations to complement and accelerate the rehabilitation of the county’s essential short rail line.

In rural and less densely-populated areas, port and transportation infrastructure are often critical to economic vitality, spurring investment and job creation and contributing to the vibrancy of communities.

WSW represented a rural county in the Mid-Atlantic region that was the most rural in the state , with the lowest population and significant challenges in terms of economic development and employment. To facilitate renewal of its port and to create infrastructure that attracts development and meets the need of manufacturers, WSW worked with the County to advance its quest for federal investment in rehabilitation of its short rail line, essential to local economic development and growth in the county and throughout the region. WSW worked intensively with the county to engage Congress and the Executive Branch in both the annual appropriations process and through federal competitive grants. WSW helped the county engage a broad array of public sector and private sector partners to develop a large-scale, regional approach to resolving freight bottlenecks that were limiting economic development and commerce. WSW helped the county through multiple rounds of applications for large-scale USDOT grants, with a focus on advocacy on Capitol Hill and before key decisionmakers in the Executive Branch to explain the urgency of providing funding for this economically challenged region.

Ultimately, amid stiff competition nationwide, the county and its partners successfully applied for and won an award of $18.5 million as one of only 46 projects to be selected from among 828 applicants, complementing and enhancing work that enabled through funding the County was also able to secure through the annual appropriations process.