ODOT to Invest an Estimated $2.3 Billion in State Transportation System this Year
Officially Launches 2013 Construction Season
COLUMBUS (Wednesday, April 10, 2013) – Your tax dollars will be hard at work as the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) launches one of the largest, most aggressive construction seasons to date with projects totaling approximately $2.3 billion. ODOT will begin or continue construction of nearly 1,000 projects statewide including the Rickenbacker Intermodal Connector and the I-71-670 Columbus Crossroads Project in Central Ohio.
“Investing in our state’s transportation system is vital to our economy and to job creation,” said ODOT Director Jerry Wray. “We work hard to establish and maintain an efficient, effective transportation system that gets people and goods where they want to go in a timely and safe manner.”
ODOT’s robust construction schedule consists of an impressive 996 projects, which could total as much as $2.3 billion. ODOT will begin or continue work on 10 mega projects, each totaling more than $50 million.
New work will begin late this year on the eastbound Innerbelt Bridge in Cleveland, which is the largest, most expensive mega project in Ohio totaling approximately $330 million. That amount also includes the demolition of the current, aging Innerbelt Bridge in downtown Cleveland.
Other projects in District 6 include:
· The North Side Fix: A three-year project that will reconfigure the I-270 and US 23 Interchange.
· Central Ohio’s First Ever Diverging Diamond Interchange that will add capacity, improve safety and reduce congestion at Roberts Road and I-270.
· The widening of I-71 to three lanes in each direction between Columbus and Cleveland.
Motorists should use caution throughout construction work zones this year. The top three causes of work zone crashes are: following too closely, failure to control, and improper lane change, all of which can be prevented by safe driving. For up-to-the-minute road conditions and details on highway construction projects in every area of the state, visit ODOT’s premier website: www.ohgo.com.
For a list of major projects statewide, click here.
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