​In the fall of 2013, ODOT District 9 initiated the Bee Pollinator Habitat Project, which is serving to convert state-owned right of way to pollinator habitat. The project was first introduced by Dianne Kahal-Berman, a transportation engineer in District 9's Planning and Engineering Department, who initiated the "4Bs"  - birds, butterflies, bees and beauty - as part of the Ohio Certified Public Manager program, which included individuals from other state agencies who were charged with developing a project that would effect some type of positive change.

As part of the project, ODOT is planting native prairie plant species to restore the habitat and provide food specific for pollinators. In the spring of 2014, maintenance staff prepped and planted two, one-acre plots along the state Route 207 corridor in Ross County. And in addition to ODOT, the OCPM team created a partnership with the Deer Creek Chapter of Pheasants Forever to assist in establishing these habitats.