Officials from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) led discussions on how to fund the infrastructure in the state at the 18th Annual Transportation Summit.
The event took place March 30, sponsored by the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG). More than 200 elected officials, engineers, planners, service providers and business people attended at the Grand Lobby of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza in Downtown Toledo.
“Infrastructure is critical to the prosperity of our communities, states and the nation. The transportation system impacts everybody’s life every day,” said Jerry Wray, ODOT director. “We’re in a crisis and facing a massive deficit. Funding for projects is far less than we’ve had in the past. We need to look at different methods to establish long-term financial solutions to fund a statewide transportation system that works.”
There is currently a $1.6 billion shortfall for the list of priority projects to meet the transportation needs in Ohio, according to ODOT.
Wray said state leaders will not give communities false hopes for projects that may be delayed or not get funded.
Two local projects that could be affected are the redesign of the I-75/I-475 exchange and widening of I-75 from Phillips Avenue to the I-280 exchange. There is a federal stalemate over funding of transportation.
Although Congress recently passed the ninth extension of transportation funding, it’s only for 90 days, Wray said. State officials are fighting for 100 percent return of the federal fuel tax as it now receives only 86 percent of each dollar of federal tax generated in Ohio.
However, Wray said that they can’t wait for that to happen.
ODOT has reduced its statewide staff by 300 workers, mostly by attrition, and is taking other cost-cutting measures across the board, Wray said.
“We’re exploring opportunities for alternative sources of revenue that could include private enterprises. We see a great value in engaging private investment for public transportation,” Wray said. “We have to have a different system and an open process to balance our revenue with the projects to be built.”
There are 101 rest areas in Ohio with 45 of them located on interstate highways, costing $150 million to maintain annually. Commercializing rest areas and turning some into service plazas along with seeking sponsorships for infrastructure projects could generate $100 million to $200 million for transportation projects.
ODOT officials are working with the Transportation Advisory Council and state planning people to determine what projects will be funded. A local member of that council, Richard Martinko, director of the University Transportation Center and Intermodal Transportation Institute at UT, was recognized for his contributions.
The Ohio Turnpike is possibly the largest asset of value in the State of Ohio with 241 miles of highway that generate $250 million in revenue annually, according to ODOT. It is currently operated by the Ohio Turnpike Commission, separate from ODOT.
“It’s an important asset that we need to leverage for the future,” said James Riley, deputy director of the Division of Innovative Delivery at ODOT. “The old model doesn’t work so what do we do?”
The state began a study early this year to review how the Ohio Turnpike is operated and maintained, but it isn’t expected to be completed until late 2012. The study is being conducted by KPMG, a national consulting firm and will explore a range of ownership and operating alternatives for the turnpike.
Those alternatives include moving control of the turnpike to ODOT, a mixed public-private lease option, or keeping it under the control of the Ohio Turnpike Commission, Riley said.
The team, led by KPMG, has held meetings around the state, including in Fremont and Sandusky, and met with the Teamsters union representing truck drivers to obtain input for the analysis. It will look at private investment markets and availability of funds as alternatives to the status quo.
“It’s all about value for money,” said Tim Wilschetz, a principal of KPMG who spoke at the summit. “You want to make sure the state is making a good decision involving the turnpike.”
Riley reported that 90 percent of the turnpike’s annual revenue is generated by traffic traveling across or through the state. Fifty percent of the total revenue comes from commercial vehicles using the turnpike.
Several people at the summit raised the possibility of increasing the gas tax in Ohio to offset the cost of the state’s transportation system.
“There’s a growing consensus in the country that the gas tax is no longer the proper vehicle to fund transportation in the future. There’s no interest in gas tax increases in Columbus or Washington at this time,” Wray said.
A panel of local and state transportation officials reviewed a number of major transportation projects that will be undertaken in the new construction season. The panel was led by Mike Gramza, planning and engineering administrator for ODOT District 2, and Robin Whitney, commissioner of the Division of Engineering Services for the City of Toledo.
The rebuilding of the northbound side of the I-475 bridge over the Maumee River will be undertaken this year with a completion scheduled by July 1 at a cost of $5 million. The southbound lane was rebuilt early this year.
The resurfacing of I-475/U.S. 23 from Central Avenue north to the Michigan line would result in the U.S. 23 northbound ramp to I-475 being reduced to one lane. The $4.7 million project would be completed this year.
Also scheduled for resurfacing in 2012 is I-75 from Perrysburg to the Maumee River.
The new four-lane highway for US 24 from Maumee to Waterville is scheduled for completion by September, according to ODOT.
The widening of I-475 from I-75 to Secor Road in Toledo will continue with the completion of the new ProMedica Parkway in 2012 and the $85 million project by the end of 2013.
The relocation of State Route 18 around North Baltimore to its exchange with I-75 will begin this year.
The rebuilding of the Anthony Wayne Bridge High-Level over the Maumee River, a 24-month project that will close the span to replace all decks and approaches as well as checking all cables, is scheduled to begin in 2013.
