The Ohio Department of Transportation received approval to invest an additional $398 million into new highway and road projects over the next four years; projects approved by its Transportation Review Advisory Council, known as TRAC, on November 6.

[Above photo by the Ohio DOT.]

“As Ohio’s economy continues to grow, we must be able to address the demands put on our roads and bridges,” said Jack Marchbanks, Ohio DOT’s director, in a statement. “These funds allow us to eliminate pinch points, reduce congestion, and make our roads and bridges safer for moving people and goods across Ohio.”

The TRAC’s final funding list includes several major highway upgrades, such as: $79 million for widening of I-475 and construction of a new interchange at U.S. 20A in Lucas County; $73 million for interchange improvements at I-270 and I-70 (Phase 1 of the Far East Freeway) in Franklin County; and $65 million for widening and interchange improvements along I-77 from Arlington Road to I-77, I-277, and U.S. 224 in Summit County

Established by the Ohio General Assembly in 1997, the Ohio DOT said the TRAC is charged with developing and overseeing a project selection process for major new transportation capacity projects that cost more than $12 million. Since 1998, the TRAC has invested nearly $11 billion into Ohio’s infrastructure, the agency noted.