Questions and Answers from the Go OHIO Webinar May 12, 2010
Q: What is an example of a policy or process gap that Go OHIO can identify?
A: The way the school districts are set up in Ohio requires them to do a lot of busing for long distances. This results in high maintenance and fuel costs, which is a financial burden on the education system. ODOT would like to better understand how it can support school districts and address transportation and access issues. We would like to help at the district level with school transportation issues. A related issue is funding of new schools. A school facilities commission has been set up to address building new schools. Because land is cheap at the outskirts of town, schools may end up being built there. School location evaluation criteria almost incentivize greenfield development, which is located further from the town core and transportation services, and which then requires additional infrastructure investment. A shortterm decision is being made without thinking about the big picture of how it affects overall public investment.
Q: Has Go OHIO examined impacts to neighboring states?
A: The study will be looking at travel flows not just within Ohio but in neighboring states as well, and freight movement across the nation and internationally.
Q: When will modal data be available so that MPOs can use it in their planning?
A: The results are targeted for the next few months. The goal is for the plan to be finished by the end of the year.
Q: When will the system designation be completed?
A: System designation is to use criteria to determine the elements of the Ohio transportation network with the most strategic importance for economic prosperity Draft information may be available in July and final information available late summer/early fall.
Q: On the human capital side, how is education and training and the locations for that being considered.
A: That approach is under development. We welcome any recommendations participants have on this.
Q: This effort complements the ODOT roundtables conducted at the district level addressing transportation and economic development.
A: Yes, ODOT has begun meeting with business leaders, local community leaders, and others at the regional level to discuss how transportation can be improved and how ODOT can be of more service. We are looking at the entire program holistically at the regional level. Each district has set up a roundtable to which the public and local leaders are invited to come to discuss anything that is transportationrelated. The information from the ODOT Roundtables will be incorporated into Go OHIO Transportation Futures Plan process.
Q: Please be careful with rail traffic rights versus ownership. The CP connects into Williams County but is not shown as the line owner.
A: The study team is very aware of the need to recognize rail ownership and traffic rights differently. We will review the Ohio Rail Development Commission’s recently completed State Rail Plan for further information on this, and take this into account as it relates to designation of a strategic system
Q: Where is the employer dataset from?
A: The Harris data purchased in March includes all employers in Ohio with more than 20 employees.
Q: Do you have expectations in the future on how this study will affect TRAC funding?
A: At this point ODOT doesn’t have any position on how the results of this study will affect TRAC funding. We are going to see what this study yields and then we’ll see if this is this is something that needs to be carried forward not only with TRAC but with all project programming.
Q: Will this project culminate in a statewide transportation plan?
A: The Go OHIO Futures plan is a strategic vision document, not a statewide plan. If there is a need to modify or update existing plans Go OHIO will assist with that.
Q: While tourism isn’t identified as one of the nine clusters, it is the state’s second largest employer. How will seasonal destinations and the needs of tourism be considered?
A: Tourism plays an important role in the general economic analysis because having a tourism industry plays an important role in an area’s economy. We are capturing that as another, nontransportation sector in the general economic analysis.
Q: Once this study is completed and policies are implemented, will it increase the importance of economic development in establishing the purpose and need for a transportation project here in Ohio?
A: Safety and ODOT’s “fixitfirst” philosophy remain priorities at ODOT our number one focus is that roads and bridges be safe. Economic development is critically important, too. Increasingly, we are seeing projects come through the project development process with an economic development component. We would like to encourage more of a connection between transportation projects with direct benefits to Ohio’s economy. We expect the Go OHIO effort to assist us in determining appropriate economic development evaluation criteria.
Q: Does 3C or the Ohio Hub figure into Go OHIO?
A: 3C is the proposed rail line connecting Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, and Cleveland. ODOT, and the Ohio Rail Development Commission has just completed a state rail plan. We are incorporating those elements from the state rail plan important for both freight and passenger rail into the Go OHIO Futures plan. The environmental processes for 3C are getting underway this summer so there will be opportunities for partnership and public involvement once that begins.
Q: ODOT historically has made its decisions based on traffic and accidents only. What benefits are you going to identify that will bring about long term change?
A: System maintenance and safety will always be very important for ODOT. What we are looking at is an overlay of other factors that may warrant consideration in the future such as the direct impact on economic growth, land use patterns and livability, and environmental issues. We are developing a framework that policy makers can take into consideration for future decision making along with the other core issues. During the 21st Century Task Force a few people expressed frustration with ODOT for using the same performance metrics that always concentrate on how to increase capacity. They said that was a disincentive to making improvements that increase livability. These policy conflicts are very much on the radar screen of the Go OHIO study team.
Q: Is ODOT thinking of realigning ODOT districts more in line with other state agencies?
A: The issue has been raised in the policy assessment and policy plan of the existence of different district boundaries for different state agencies, many of which need to interact closely. At this point, there has been no movement to make any recommendation to executive management.
Q: The presentation focused on existing conditions. How do you plan to incorporate developments just on the horizon, such as the CSX Gateway Corridor, Norfolk Southern Heartland Corridor, new terminal in Wood County, or widening of the Panama Canal?
A: We hope to be using economic forecasts that will capture trends in national and international trade and how goods move into and out of Ohio. The Panama Canal is a perfect example of that. Through the modal assessments we have become aware of major developments within Ohio that could affect designation of the strategic system.
Q: Will you be modeling the impact of carbon pricing and energy costs?
A: We are working closely with ODOT’s travel demand modelers and its statewide model, which is a tremendous resource. We are still in the process of identifying whatif scenarios both in terms of differences in the future transportation network and also differences in terms of key input variables, of which energy costs could be one. We will test different scenarios and see how that would affect how to target investments in the future.
Q: Other than agriculture, is the focus only on manufacturing and service industries? What about healthcare, for example?
A: The nine target industries identified by the Ohio Department of Development are:
• Advanced Energy and Environmental Technologies
• Aerospace and Aviation
• Agriculture and Food Processing
• Bioscience and Bioproducts
• Corporate and Professional Services
• Distribution and Logistics
• Instruments, Controls, and Electronics
• Motor Vehicle and Parts Manufacturing
• Polymers and Advanced Materials
Some sectors are focused on freight and some on service. These industry sectors are the focus of the effort to link transportation with targeted industries. Other industries are included in the general economic analysis. If there is a feeling that one or two more sectors should be added beyond the nine target sectors identified by ODOD, we can consider them.
Q: What is the best way to contact Andrea Stevenson, the ODOT project manager?
A: Andrea’s email is: Andrea.stevenson@dot.state.oh.us. Her contact information is also listed on the ODOT website in the section of Transportation System Development/Multimodal Planning at http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Contacts/Pages/default.aspx.