Ohio to Utilize Public Private Partnership for First Time to Finish Bridge Project

AASHTO Journal, 31 August 2012

Ohio Department of Transportation and Gov. John Kasich may have found a solution to continue construction of a bridge in Cleveland that has experienced multiple delays due to financial problems across the state.

Gov. Kasich announced last week that ODOT will employ a public private partnership that will allow the private sector to finance the $300 million or so necessary to design and build the second major phase of Cleveland’s Innerbelt Bridge, a vital link to the downtown area. This will be the first PPP for ODOT after becoming the 30th state in 2011 to pass legislation allowing PPPs.

“This is going to give a lot of prosperity to Cleveland,” said Kasich in a statement. “Cleveland is on the move. It is rebuilding. We have to move people and things. If we think outside the box and have the courage to change, which is important for Ohio, we can continue to do very well.”

ODOT restricted traffic to the Innerbelt Bridge in 2008 after finding some structural issues. While the bridge traffic was eventually restored fully, there are suggested detours to trucks to increase traffic flows. In order to make the drive more efficient for motorists, ODOT decided to build a new westbound bridge in 2009. However, multiple large transportation infrastructure projects have been delayed due to the budget problems facing ODOT and the state.

PPPs are currently being explored by ODOT for a variety of projects, including the Brent Spence Bridge in Cincinnati, the Portsmouth Bypass in Scioto County, and the interchange for U.S. Route 36 and State Route 37 on I-71 in Delaware County.

Additional information on the Innerbelt Bridge project is available at bit.ly/OHinnerbelt.

This entry was posted in Bridge Design/Const., Bridge Pres. Apps., General News, New Technology, News. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.