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Record Year For Road Construction Spending Ahead, But ODOT Director Worries About Future Funding

Karen Kasler

2018 is expected to be a record year for road construction, with the Ohio Department of Transportation planning to spend $2.4 billion maintaining and building roads and bridges. But the agency’s director is worried about funding for ODOT down the road.

Big projects are planned on freeways in Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo, and work continues on the largest project ever in southern Ohio, the Portsmouth bypass.

But 90% of ODOT’s spending goes to rehabbing and maintaining existing roads and bridges, not to add capacity. And ODOT director Jerry Wray said that will become a problem with construction costs going up and gas tax revenue declining. “There are projects that we will not have the money to build. And they will have to be delayed – and that’s what we do. You don’t not build them. You just delay them until you have the money," Wray said.

With more fuel efficient and electric vehicles on roads, Wray thinks the state will turn eventually to a system to charge drivers by the mile instead of by the gallon.

Copyright 2017 The Statehouse News Bureau

Contact Karen at 614/578-6375 or at kkasler@statehousenews.org.