ODOT Kicks Off Another Near-Record Year of Construction


We’re investing $2.3 billion in roads and bridges

COLUMBUS (Thursday, March 30, 2017)A second-straight near-record construction season is underway across Ohio. This year, the Ohio Department of Transportation will invest $2.3 billion into the state’s roads and bridges, just shy of the record-$2.4 billion investments made in 2014 and 2015.

This construction season will include 1,098 projects, 26 valued at more than $10 million. Workers will pave 6,945 miles of roadway – enough for a two-lane road from Seattle to Key West, and repair or replace 1,281 bridges.

“Since Gov. John Kasich took office, we have invested an unprecedented $14 billion in Ohio’s infrastructure,” said ODOT Director Jerry Wray. “Our transportation network is Ohio’s greatest man-made asset, and it is our duty to ensure it is in the best condition possible. That’s why 93 cents of every dollar we’re spending on roads and bridges this year will go to preservation.”

Safety is always the top priority, and this year’s construction program will include 191 projects aimed at making our roadways safer. These projects range from reconfigured intersections to additional signage and signals.

“We have seen an increase in the number of traffic deaths in Ohio over the last three years, and we are working hard to reverse this disturbing trend,” Wray said.

ODOT is also working to make the existing system work more efficiently by leveraging technology like the OHGO app, intelligent transportation systems, and recently-approved variable speed limits and smart mobility corridors.

“The easy movement of people and goods from place to place is part of the ODOT mission statement. Those aren’t just words on paper,” Wray said.

Last year, there were 6,041 crashes in work zones resulting in 28 deaths, 186 serious injuries, and 810 minor injuries. The top cause of work zone crashes is following too close. Drivers need to pay extra attention and follow signs and directions in work zones to ensure the safety of workers and motorists.

In District 5:

 As work finishes up on the Cherry Valley Interchange and the Carrol Interchange, the district’s 2017 construction program will include 62 projects at an estimated cost of $207 million.

Of the 62 projects there are 21 paving projects, 21 bridge and culvert projects, 16 safety improvement projects and three major new construction projects. The Cherry Valley Interchange and Carroll Interchange are both carry over projects and are expected to finish by the end of the year.

The newest major construction project, which began in the fall of 2016, is the SR 161 and Mink Street Interchange. The new interchange will allow traffic movement in both directions from SR 161 to Mink Street and vice versa.  The design of the interchange is utilizing Cobbs Road to accommodate the layout of the interchange ramps. Cobbs Road will have a cul-de-sac constructed near the current intersection with Mink Street.  Three traffic signals will be installed; one at each of the new ramp intersections with Mink Street and one south of the interchange at Mink Street and Worthington Road intersection. ODOT plans to open the new interchange in late fall of 2017.

The District 5 2017 Construction Kick-Off event will be held at the ODOT Muskingum County Construction Field Office to learn more about the upcoming I-70/US 40 Interchange bridge replacement project, as well as other projects that will benefit local communities and impact motorists.