State Receives Applications for Future Transportation Projects

  105 proposed projects seek a total of nearly $2 billion in planning and design

COLUMBUS (Thursday, October 08, 2009) - With new scoring criteria in place to more evenly measure the state’s future major transportation investments and their ability to promote economic development, Ohio’s Transportation Review Advisory Council (TRAC) today received 105 applications from communities across the state, asking for the new or continued study of a wide range of transportation projects.

Ranging from major interstate upgrades, bridge modernizations, freight and light rail improvements and new intermodal terminals, these 105 proposed projects seek a total of nearly $2 billion in planning and design work by the state.

“With these applications, we look toward Ohio’s longer-range transportation future,” said Ohio Department of Transportation Director Jolene M. Molitoris, who serves as chair of the nine-member council. “The size and scope of these projects demonstrate the great need for transportation investment and great opportunity to connect our investments to jobs for Ohioans and economic development for our local communities.”

Utilizing new scoring criteria approved by last year, the TRAC will score projects using a benefit/cost ratio, added to measure the full public benefit of the project, not just traffic and congestion. A new environmental category also gauges air quality impacts of a project.

The enhanced economic development category scores whether projects reclaim brownfields and improve access to job centers and job ready sites. The new scoring also emphasizes the need for land use planning and “Smart Growth” strategies, and rewards communities who partner with state on investments in transportation.

The majority of the project submissions represent updated applications from existing projects, where the project sponsors seek continued funding for development. The remaining 38 applications are for new projects, including a mix of passenger rail, transit, and freight projects.

TRAC members will deliberate on the proposed applications through January, with a vote expected in early February on a draft list of approved projects.

Established by Ohio Revised Code in 1997, the TRAC assists ODOT in developing a project selection process for the state’s largest transportation investments. The TRAC approves major new capacity-adding projects for funding of more than $5 million.

Over the next five weeks, the members of the TRAC will hold a series of regional public hearings around the state to meet with project sponsors. All meeting begin at 9:00am.

A complete list of the new TRAC applications is available online at www.dot.state.oh.us/trac.