ODOT’s report focuses almost exclusively on congestion as being the source of current and future transportation challenges. As a result, the report proposes that ODOT continue to conduct business as usual. This includes building bigger highways, despite unequivocal data that shows more highway lanes actually increase congestion.
Ohioans are begging for more transportation options
Last fall, I attended a meeting in Ironton with transportation and economic development stakeholders, who were asked to provide input to ODOT for this report. None of the elected officials, business leaders, or regional and local advocates asked ODOT to build more limited access highways.
Instead, these leaders asked for commuter rail, which would connect cities like Chillicothe, Circleville, and Zanesville to Columbus, and attract new residents looking to escape the higher cost of living in the city.
Attendees talked about the growing need for transit options for Ohioans who are aging in place and lack transportation options to the urban centers, where specialized healthcare services are increasingly concentrated.
And I heard about the pressing need for bike lanes, sidewalks, and crosswalks to attract tourists who want to enjoy the recreational opportunities that Appalachia has while supporting locals who cannot afford the cost to own and maintain a personal vehicle.
These testimonials are supported by recent statewide surveys that show there is strong demand from the public for better, more reliable public transport services, safer streets, and more sidewalks. All these transportation solutions are absent from ODOT’s report.
Highways cost money, and we don’t have it
In February, testimony from the ODOT Director confirmed that by 2028, ODOT’s programs will cost more than the agency’s projected revenue, due to diminishing revenue and inflationary impacts.
Despite this sobering announcement, ODOT’s report offers rosy projections of population growth in the state and uses these numbers to justify expansion projects. Yet data from Ohio’s Department of Development show it is more likely that Ohio will lose population by 2050.
The STDA makes no suggestions on how Ohio will fund roadway expansion projects, especially as the state faces the possibility of fewer drivers paying motor fuel taxes.
This is further complicated by uncertainties around federal funding for transportation. Already, USDOT has paused a study that would have investigate how to reconnect neighborhoods by improving and modifying U.S.35 in Dayton. And it’s unclear how much funding the state or locals can expect from USDOT in the future.
Legislators have seized on the ODOT report
During the recent state transportation budget, which was signed March 31, Ohio lawmakers took advantages of ODOT’s call for more projects to ease congestion by pushing expansion projects Per legislative direction, ODOT will study the feasibility of a brand new Interstate Highway (I-73) from Toledo to Kentucky through Columbus, and a new bypass from U.S. 23 to I-71 in densely populated Delaware County.
These projects, and many others that ODOT is considering through its major project review process, will bear extraordinary up-front costs, along with untold billions in legacy costs to maintain once they are constructed.
What can we do?
Ohio stands at a critical crossroad. Decisions today will impact the direction and fiscal health of our state for decades to come.
In matters of transportation, we certainly must prioritize maintaining our current highways and roadways at the highest levels possible. We have to keep our transportation system in good repair.
However, we must also critically assess the cost and benefits of any new expansion project. If the problem is congestion, there are proven solutions that reduce the number of single-occupancy vehicles on our roadways. These solutions do not include highway development or lane expansion.
And Ohio should invest in a multimodal system that will have the widest, broadest reach possible to meet the demands of all Ohioans.
ODOT’s recent STDA report should have been a blueprint for this work. Regrettably, it has missed the mark.
Jason Warner is the Director of Strategic Engagement for the Greater Ohio Policy Center.
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