 COLUMBUS - When Mother Nature is at her worst, the Ohio
Department of Transportation is at its best.To date, ODOT
employees have spent 20,185 hours assisting with clean up from the Memorial
Day tornadoes. Clean-up costs from this unexpected weather event have cost
the agency $516,274.
Without the
additional revenue from the two-year transportation budget that goes into
effect on July 1, ODOT would’ve been forced to push back important
transportation projects to help offset these emergency costs.
"We must balance
our budget and that means if costs go up in one area, they must be reduced in
another," said Marchbanks. "Thanks to the increased funding from
the transportation budget, we will have the ability to better absorb the hit
that this and other emergency situations put on our overall budget, and
future projects will remain on schedule."
Reopening roadways
closed by flooding or debris from storms is vital to helping residents
recover from weather disasters.
Since 2015, severe
weather emergencies have cost ODOT nearly $53 million.
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