75/63 On Governor's Transportation Plan |
Thursday, December 11, 2003 10:01:35 AM - Middletown Ohio |
Source: Transportation Review Advisory Council Internet News Release
COLUMBUS (December 9, 2003) – The Transportation Review Advisory Council (TRAC) today approved $3.7 billion for major new highway projects, beginning the implementation of Governor Taft's Jobs and Progress Plan. The draft project list will be subject to a 90-day public comment period before the TRAC approves a final list in May.
Included on the list is: Interstate 75/State Route 63 – Butler and Warren counties: funding commitment of $44 million to upgrade I-75/SR 63 interchange beginning in 2008. Total project cost $53 million.
"We must rebuild our stressed and outdated highway network to ensure that Ohio remains the transportation hub of the nation," Taft said. "This aggressive, but realistic plan will improve our transportation system, create thousands of jobs across Ohio, and enhance our quality of life."
Gov. Taft's Jobs and Progress Plan, which was unveiled in early August, is Ohio's largest transportation initiative since the original creation of the interstate highway system. The plan devotes $5 billion over the next 10 years toward Ohio's highway network, generating more than 4,000 highway construction jobs, easing freeway congestion, improving road safety and connecting rural regions.
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) typically works on a six-year construction and planning cycle, adding a year of new projects annually. This round of TRAC project funding commitments covers the 2005-2010 time frame.
The TRAC was created by the Ohio Legislature in 1997 to oversee fair distribution of transportation funds. The TRAC currently has 96 projects under construction, or to be constructed, totaling $7.6 billion.
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