AASHTO Journal, 27 September 2013
Ohio’s Transportation Review Advisory Council approved Thursday a six-year, $3 billion infrastructure investment plan, which upgrades the state’s transportation infrastructure while also creating 60,000 new jobs, growing Ohio’s economy.
Governor John Kasich’s Jobs and Transportation Infrastructure Plan commits the $3 billion in state, local, federal, and Ohio Turnpike dollars to more than 40 key transportation projects across the state. About $1.5 billion of that $3 billion total will come from bonds backed by Turnpike profits. TRAC voted unanimously Thursday to put the plan into action, after reviewing the plan last month and opening it up to the public for a comment period. Now that the plan is approved, ODOT says some of the projects identified in the plan could break ground as early as this year.
“We have been working hard to move through the process quickly and get projects started,” said ODOT Director Jerry Wray in a statement. “Thanks to the Governor’s plan, we will be able to get more projects moving faster, without a tax increase.”
Kasich’s Jobs and Transportation plan is available here. A list of all projects approved for construction by TRAC is available here.