Ohio submits Nine Priority Transportation Projects
for Latest Stimulus Funding
TIGER Grant applications seek $587,899,855 in funding
COLUMBUS (Tuesday, September 15, 2009) - Targeting major transportation projects that will have a significant impact throughout the state and Midwest region, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland is submitting nine applications to the U.S. Department of Transportation for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) Discretionary Grant Program.
The Ohio Department of Transportation project applications seek a total of $587,899,855 in stimulus funding.
“Transportation investment is a means to create jobs and transform Ohio’s economy,” Strickland said. “These projects meet the high goals set forth by President Obama in the Recovery Act, and this additional funding, if secured, will make a marked improvement to our transportation system, create jobs, and help promote livable, sustainable communities throughout our state.”
The Recovery Act appropriated $1.5 billion in discretionary grant funds to be awarded by the USDOT for major capital investments in surface transportation, including highway and bridge projects, improvements at air or water ports, public transportation, and passenger and freight rail projects.
According to guidance from Washington, awards will be on a competitive basis to “projects that have significant impact on the nation, a metropolitan area, or a region.” Priority is also given to projects that can be completed by February 2012 and include long-term outcomes, such as job creation, economic stimulus, innovation and partnership. Additionally, local governments can apply for projects that, if eligible, the state will support.
“We selected projects based on their ability to give Ohio’s travelers and shippers more opportunities, and further transform Ohio into a premier national and global logistics and transportation location,” said ODOT Director Jolene M. Molitoris. “These investments will also leverage nearly $1.2 billion in additional state, local and private sector funding.”
In March, Ohio announced its plans for the first round of $935.7 in transportation infrastructure stimulus funds allocated to Ohio, including $161.5 million directed to the state's major metropolitan planning organizations. This initial project announcement included stimulus funding for a portion of the $400 million Cleveland I-90 Innerbelt Bridge and $150 million for the U.S. Route 33 Nelsonville Bypass.
The nine current applications submitted by the State of Ohio for TIGER Grant Funding are (in alphabetical order):
Columbus Interstate 70/71 Neighborhood Reconnection and Modernization Project - Innovative interstate improvements will increase safety and relieve congestion on one of the busiest sections of highway in the Midwest region, as well as improve connectivity and development opportunities for economically distressed neighborhoods in Columbus. The request of $90 million in TIGER Grant funds would be used to match Ohio’s investment of $90 million to accelerate the first phase of this project.
CSX National Gateway Project - With an unprecedented endorsement from six governors, this multi-state application requests a total of $258 million in TIGER Grant funds to complete 61 double-stacked rail clearance projects along this vital freight rail corridor. Ohio is already committed to invest $30 million in state and stimulus funding for this true public-private partnership, in which CSX and its affiliates are funding nearly 50 percent of the total $842 million cost.
Interstate 71 Jeremiah Morrow Bridge Modernization - Construction could begin immediately on this “shovel ready” replacement of the twin steel truss Jeremiah Morrow Bridge located along I-71 between Columbus and Cincinnati - a vital truck freight corridor in Ohio. An investment of $55 million in TIGER Grant funding would leverage a matching $55 million in funding from ODOT.
Interstate 75 West Carrollton Interchange Modernization - Modernizing and reconfiguring this outdated interchange along I-75 near Dayton will ignite redevelopment in the West Carrollton, Moraine, Kettering, and Miamisburg areas, and will play a vital role in redeveloping the former General Motors Moraine Assembly plant. The request for $22 million in TIGER Grant funds will be used to augment $6 million in state and local investments.
Ohio’s Green Public Transit Vehicle Exchange - To modernize the state’s public transit fleet and replace public transit vehicles which are beyond useful life, this investment will allow for the purchase of more than 260 cleaner, greener vehicles for Ohio’s public transit systems. This investment could also help in Ohio’s effort to attract a bus manufacturing company to the state. Ohio’s request of $75 million in TIGER Grant funds will match the $15 million in state and $3 million in local funding already dedicated to this exchange.
Plum Brook Aerospace Station - Construction of an intermodal loading facility - including a 9,000 foot runway - will allow NASA and others to safely and economically transfer satellite and related aerospace equipment to this facility in northern Ohio and expand this state’s involvement in the aerospace industry. This request of $60.2 million in TIGER Grant funds will complement a total local and state investment of $394 million.
Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority Dredge Purchase - Reducing dredging from Maumee Bay and the ship channel in the Maumee River threatens the very existence of the port. The purchase of dredging equipment to maintain the channel and berth depth of Toledo port terminals is critical for this inland seaport and northwest Ohio’s gateway to global commerce. This request of $10.8 million in TIGER Grant funds will be used to leverage $8 million/year in local operating costs and $12 million in already-approved Ohio stimulus-funded projects.
U.S. Railcar Passenger Train Manufacturing Project - This public-private partnership to produce and maintain Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) passenger railcars at a new manufacturing facility in the central Ohio suburb of Gahanna will create new manufacturing jobs in Ohio and the only American-owned domestic passenger railcar manufacturer in the United States. The Ohio Rail Development Commission is requesting $8.8 million to match nearly $28 million in Ohio Department of Development and private sector investments.
Van Wert Industrial Mega-Manufacturing Jobs Ready Site - Construction of 11,000 track feet of railroad infrastructure to serve a 1,600-acre Industrial Mega-Manufacturing Site will allowing Van Wert to become part of Ohio’s regional, national and global distribution chain, significantly improve the marketability of this site to a mega-manufacturer, and create only the second mega-manufacturing site in Ohio that is “Jobs Ready.” The project request of $8 million in TIGER Grant funds will leverage $10 million in state development and local funds.
“In addition to these identified projects, we encouraged Ohio municipalities and regions to submit competitive applications for other eligible projects, and we will demonstrate state support for those projects as well,” Governor Strickland said.
Additional TIGER Grant requests have been submitted to the USDOT by several local municipalities and transportation partners. These nine projects represent the state’s official submissions by ODOT and the Ohio Rail Development Commission (sponsors of the CSX National Gateway and U.S. Railcar applications). Competition is expected to be intense for these limited stimulus funds, with all 50 states eligible for these grants.
Each of the complete TIGER Grant applications by the state - along with updates on Ohio’s transportation stimulus investments - will be available online at: http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Communications/Pages/FederalStimulusProjectListing.aspx
ODOT continues to invest, oversee and monitor more than $1.1 billion in transportation stimulus funds directed to Ohio through the Recovery Act, with funds being invested in every region of the state and in every mode of the state’s multi-modal transportation system.
For more information, contact Scott Varner, Central Office Communications, at (614) 644-8640
or your local ODOT District Communications Office.