N E W S W I R E

Transportation Review Advisory Council  Internet Media Advisory/Public Notice

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 20,  2002

TRAC Releases Another Short Projects List

COLUMBUS – Faced with unpredictable state and federal revenue, the state panel which oversees the funding of major new transportation projects today approved just $21,525,000 to develop – but not construct – seven projects.

The nine-man council, headed by ODOT Director Gordon Proctor, gave approval to its second straight lean project list. No money was allocated for the year 2007. Last December, the panel approved $20 million for eight projects, again allocating no new money for construction. In 2000, the TRAC authorized spending $209 for construction.

"We no longer have a large pool of money to build new projects," Proctor said. "We have to continue to spend money to preserve the system and hope that state and federal revenues increase. Over the last few years, ODOT has reduced costs and streamlined processes to save money; we cannot squeeze and shave the system more."

The federal legislation funding ODOT and other state DOTs expires next October. Ohio’s state gasoline tax – at 22 cents a gallon – was last raised in 1993. The federal tax on gasoline is 18.4 cents a gallon.

Although the TRAC today approved $3 million to help fund construction of an interchange at Interstate 70 and State Route 202 (Huber Heights) in fiscal 2004, the project is not actually new, but a part of the widening of I-70. Money from ODOT’s District 7 office in Sidney is to help fund the construction, then be repaid by the TRAC.

Currently, the TRAC has 48 projects under construction or to be constructed; they are worth $2.4 billion. A detailed list of the projects can be viewed at:
Complete List of Tier I and II Projects (in pdf format. Requires Acrobat Reader) 
or in HTML format: 
Tier I - Draft List of Projects for Construction SFYs 2002-2006
Tier II - Draft List of Projects to Be Continued for Some Stage of Development

The draft project list will be subject to written public comments until March 28. 

Write: TRAC Coordinator Michael Cull, c/o ODOT,1980 W. Broad St., Cols., Ohio 43223

The seven new projects to get TRAC money for development in the years 2003 through 2006 are:

• The I-75/I-475 interchange in Toledo – $3 million for design

• I-475/Salisbury Road in Toledo – $875,000 for design

• I-75 in downtown Dayton – $11 million for design

• U.S. 22/3 (Montgomery Road) in Cincinnati – $4.4 million for right of way purchase

• U.S. 33 Nelsonville Bypass – $750,000for environmental work

• SR 7 in Marietta – $400,000 for environmental work

• U.S. 30 in the Canton area – $1.1 million for additional design work

Link to: TRAC Web site |