Look at all these places that's going after federal money while Ohio  sits  and basicly do nothing.

 

Final Design & Construction:

Baltimore - MARC improvements

Boston - Silver line BRT phase 3

Central Florida commuter rail

Charlotte - South LRT

Dallas - Northwest/Southeast LRT

Delaware - Wilmington/Newark commuter rail improvements

Denver - West LRT

El Paso - SMART starter line

Harrisburg - CorridorONE commuter rail

Hartford - New Britain busway

Houston - "Advanced Transit Program" LRT (whatever that is)

Kansas City - Southtown BRT

Las Vegas - Resort corridor downtown extension

Los Angeles - Exposition LRT

Miami - North corridor

Minneapolis - North Star corridor

Nashua - Commuter rail

Nashville - Tennessee commuter rail

New Orleans - Desire streetcar

New York - LIRR east side access

Norfolk - Light rail

Northern Virginia - Tysons Corner metro

Orange County, CA - Rapid transit project

Philadealphia - Schuylkill Valley metrorail

Pittsburgh - North Shore connector

Portland, OR - South 205 LRT

Providence - South commuter rail

Raleigh - Regional rail

Sacramento - South LRT extension

Salt Lake City - Weber to SLC commuter rail

San Diego - Mid-Coast extension

San Francisco - Third Street LRT phases 1&2

San Gabriel Valley - Gold line foothill extension phases 1&2

San Jose - Silicon Valley rapid transit corridor

Tampa Bay - Regional rail

Washington County, OR - Beaverton commuter rail

Wasilla, AK - Commute rail

 

 

The bottm is this PDF file show you what kinda money these places are getting.

 

http://www.house.gov/rules/109hr3title3cr.pdf

dude, even detroit got money for improvements from the federal highway bill:

 

27 million to purchase riverfront land, add walkways and other attractions (absolutely no new roads)

100 million to continue the study of detroit to ann arbor commuter rail

now thats a waste of money in michigan. ohio is clamoring for commuter rail and michingan gets the money instead, now thats what i call government waste! i dont really have  aproblem with ODOT, but they need to do more for ohio.

$100 million for a commuter rail study? Are you sure that's just for a study? I would think that, for $100 million, they would be able to get some service running.

 

KJP

By the way, don't be mad at ODOT (yes, me of all people is actually saying that!). The way the congressional earmarks in the transportation reauthorization work is that each congressperson mails out a request to mayors, transit agencies, county engineers, etc etc. to see if they would like to request that a project be included in the bill. If no Ohio mayor, transit agency or other project sponsor told their congressperson to include a meaningful transit project, then ODOT shouldn't be blamed. Besides, other than the Columbus North Corridor LRT, what other rail project is far enough along in the planning process to be eligible for federal funding? None that I can think of.

 

KJP

ahem, the neo rail commuter rail? as i recall there is a fleshed out years long study gathering dust on a shelf somewhere in the noaca office!

But NEOrail is no longer an active plan (ditto with Waterfront Phase II, Blue Line extension and Red Line extension -- all of which completed the major investment study phase). Technically, those three transit planning efforts may be mothballed, as RTA may still be the projects' sponsor. But I don't think NEOrail has a sponsor anymore. Even if it does, it would be NOACA, which means I'll stick with my original contention that it has no sponsor....

 

KJP

I can't speak for ODOT, but Ohio will benefit from a $90-million allocation for the Heartland Corridor between Norfolk, Virginia and the new Rickenbacker intermodal rail yard (which got $30-million toward it's $65-million pricetag).....  though these aren't passenger projects, they do improve our rail infrastructure and provide the impetus for more improvements, including passenger. ODOT supported these projects, although most of the water was carried by local governments and the MPO's.

 

Expecting ODOT to go after rail dollars is like waiting for a 90-dgree day at the North Pole.  ODOT is still a highway department and won't change until people elect leaders who will force them to begin thinking beyond the asphalt. 

now thats a waste of money in michigan. ohio is clamoring for commuter rail and michingan gets the money instead, now thats what i call government waste! i dont really have  aproblem with ODOT, but they need to do more for ohio.

 

michigan bashing? how original......

 

$100 million for a commuter rail study? Are you sure that's just for a study? I would think that, for $100 million, they would be able to get some service running.

 

KJP

 

same thing i thought, but the article (who could easily be wrong) mentioned more studying.......Also, they've already studied the project to hell, they are down to four possible routes, one of which being a BRT

You know the bill was for almost 300 billlion. That's a billion per million people, but Cincinnati got a measly 50 million??????

same thing i thought, but the article (who could easily be wrong) mentioned more studying.......Also, they've already studied the project to hell, they are down to four possible routes, one of which being a BRT

 

 

Here's what today's (7-30) Detroit Free Press said about it:

 

A proposed rapid-transit line between Detroit and Ann Arbor -- $100 million to SEMCOG for the preliminary engineering phase. SEMCOG is studying alternatives for the project, which include a light rail line and other forms of rapid transit.

 

Usually, preliminary engineering represents about 10-20 percent of a project's total cost. So we're talking a $1 billion to $2 billion project? Does anyone remember the thread on this forum in which we discussed how most cities started their first rail transit lines with a bare-bones approach? Sorry Pope, but I don't have a lot confidence in Detroit-area officials being able to carry off such a massive, first-attempt at building rail transit.

 

Heck, give me the $100 million and I'll upgrade the Detroit-Ann Arbor rail corridor, acquire recently retired Chicago Metra equipment, some of the locomotives Amtrak has stored, and I'll run a pretty frequent and fast rail service along that corridor. If that draws ridership, then start building more grandiose services.

 

KJP

if its any consolation KJP, its supposed to be AATA taking the reigns of the project instead of DDOT/SMART

I feel a little better. All those at DDOT/SMART should have concrete blocks chained to their ankles and be dumped in the Detroit River.

 

KJP

I think the state DOT is one of the best.  There's very little traffic problem on Ohio roads, compared to other states of similiar size and containing cities of similar size.  Their road building standards make sense (no goofy stuff like Michigan's U-turns).  Overall I'm quite satisfied with ODOT.

^ very little traffic problems? It has the 4th highest volume in the country. and it's just not interstates. Try traveling Colerain Ave Or Tylerville road during peak time.

^ very little traffic problems? It has the 4th highest volume in the country. and it's just not interstates. Try traveling Colerain Ave Or Tylerville road during peak time.

 

Exactly.  4th highest volume, but it's nowhere near 4th highest in traffic problems.

 

Trust me, you need to travel a bit more around the country.  Most places have traffic moving much slower than our state.

^I have been to all the major cities, Except houston. I'm 36 and have been to the major metro's in canada too except Montreal. have you?

In my experience Ohio's traffic problems are pretty insignificant in comparison to larger cities, but I don't know about how cities similar in size to Ohio's compare.

 

But from what I hear on Cincinnati traffic reports on the radio (not from personal experience), you people in Cincy must be cursed by something... seems like every day there is some ludicrous accident in which a car or truck flips over, explodes, turns inside out, gets taken over by an evil computer and plows across all lanes of traffic, or SOMETHING that causes traffic to back up for a few thousand miles in either direction!  And you just know ol' Brent Spence is going to fall into the river during rush hour one day...

This is the whole  state we are talking about. Why should california get 100 billion, but Ohio not even try to get 1 billion or 500 million for that fact?

Why don't you name some biggish states and cities then that have a smoother flow of traffic than the state of Oho and its cities?

 

Also names some states in the Northern U.S. that have better quality roads than Ohio.

DUde i just named one. Calif is not 99 billion more congested than Ohio.

 

How does that sound. Sorry Ohio The 300 billion has already been spent, you'll have to wait another decade or so.

Traffic is going to be lighter when your highway system is designed for a state where the population growth never materialized. I recall that the number of Ohio highways (and the width of them in urban areas) proposed in the 1940s-1950s and built in subsequent years was predicated on the state's continued population growth, anticipated 50 years ago. In the 1950s, only four other states added more population than Ohio, according to Census data. In the 1960s, the state's population growth remained in the top 10. That changed starting in the 1970s, when the state's population growth fell to 34th, and fell further in the 1980s, to 38th, when Ohio added only 49,493 residents. While the state's growth picked up again in the 1990s, ranking 16th, the highway system had been designed for a much more populous Ohio, with more traffic. I don't think ODOT deserves credit for that, especially since ODOT didn't exist before 1972.

 

Ohio Population

1900: 4,157,545

1910: 4,767,121

1920: 5,759,394

1930: 6,646,697

1940: 6,907,612

1950: 7,946,627

1960: 9,706,396

1970: 10,657,423

1980: 10,797,622

1990: 10,847,115

2000: 11,353,140

 

Also, note that while Ohio's population grew 4.7% in the 1990s, U.S. population growth was nearly triple that, at 13.1%.

 

As to the condition of roads, I cannot forget the sight of so many deep potholes on I-480 last winter, along with a half-dozen cars disabled on the side of the road with flat tires. My own car hasn't been the same since my left-front wheel struck a deep pothole on I-90 at night. My car vibrates at speeds above 65. I can't say much for the condition of roads elsewhere. It's very tough to keep a nice car nice anymore....

 

KJP

From the first post on this thread, it appears that there are many projects going forward that will spend dollars the way that this tax payer wants to see them spent.  Now, I understand that's not the way the system works, but when I talk about my concerns, they don't often include highway construction.  In fact, I think exorbitant, overextended highway spending is part of the demise of Ohio's population growth.  The central urban areas have lost so much of their population because of the willingness of public agencies to support growth in the exurbs, which has left us with much less vibrant and livable cities. 

 

One unfortunate result of all this is that we don't have density that warrants rail construction and we certainly don't have population growth or migration patterns that warrant it either.  However, as it is very clear that public expenditures drive growth...along highway corridors, transit corridors, etc., I would much rather see my dollars spent on projects that serve existing population centers and foster more dense, sustainable growth in our cities.  This is the approach of regions like the Pacific Northwest, where they apparently value their natural surroundings and don't want to see them all developed into subdivisions and shopping malls. 

 

Again, I realize that these are my opinions and that they apparently don't reflect the majority opinion in Ohio, but I refuse to accept the "well, move to Portland then" response.  I want positive change at home!

DUde i just named one. Calif is not 99 billion more congested than Ohio.

 

How does that sound. Sorry Ohio The 300 billion has already been spent, you'll have to wait another decade or so.

 

Now I know you're on crack.  You think California has less traffic than Ohio?  That is just absurd.  California's roads are notorious for being congested.  Case closed, if that's the best example you can think of.

 

This is the whole  state we are talking about. Why should california get 100 billion, but Ohio not even try to get 1 billion or 500 million for that fact?

 

If CA is getting 100 times the money Ohio is (but surely is not 100 times the size of Ohio in population, land area, or number of cars on the roads), then doesn't that add to the argument that ODOT is doing a better job than other state DOT's, with fewer resources? 

From the first post on this thread, it appears that there are many projects going forward that will spend dollars the way that this tax payer wants to see them spent.  Now, I understand that's not the way the system works, but when I talk about my concerns, they don't often include highway construction.  In fact, I think exorbitant, overextended highway spending is part of the demise of Ohio's population growth.  The central urban areas have lost so much of their population because of the willingness of public agencies to support growth in the exurbs, which has left us with much less vibrant and livable cities. 

 

One unfortunate result of all this is that we don't have density that warrants rail construction and we certainly don't have population growth or migration patterns that warrant it either.  However, as it is very clear that public expenditures drive growth...along highway corridors, transit corridors, etc., I would much rather see my dollars spent on projects that serve existing population centers and foster more dense, sustainable growth in our cities.  This is the approach of regions like the Pacific Northwest, where they apparently value their natural surroundings and don't want to see them all developed into subdivisions and shopping malls. 

 

Again, I realize that these are my opinions and that they apparently don't reflect the majority opinion in Ohio, but I refuse to accept the "well, move to Portland then" response.  I want positive change at home!

 

If we were to judge Wayne Gretzky, would we judge him for his American football skills?  Surely not.

 

You may be disgruntled about tthe state of light rail in Ohio, but you are letting your politics cloud your judgement.  ODOT is mainly a road agency, and that is the criteria by which they should be judged.

 

If you're upset about no light rail in Cincinnati, blame the voters or the local transit authority, not ODOT.

 

 

Locutus,  ODOT is a tranportation agency.  Not a roads agency.  Here is ODOT's mission statement, from their website: "Our mission is to provide a world-class transportation system that links Ohio to a global economy while preserving the state’s unique character and enhancing its quality of life."

 

DUde i just named one. Calif is not 99 billion more congested than Ohio.

 

How does that sound. Sorry Ohio The 300 billion has already been spent, you'll have to wait another decade or so.

 

Now I know you're on crack.  You think California has less traffic than Ohio?  That is just absurd.  California's roads are notorious for being congested.  Case closed, if that's the best example you can think of.

 

This is the whole  state we are talking about. Why should california get 100 billion, but Ohio not even try to get 1 billion or 500 million for that fact?

 

If CA is getting 100 times the money Ohio is (but surely is not 100 times the size of Ohio in population, land area, or number of cars on the roads), then doesn't that add to the argument that ODOT is doing a better job than other state DOT's, with fewer resources? 

 

Your arguments reflect either a refusal or an inability to comprehend what was written.  Nowhere does MGD state that California is less congested than Ohio.  He states that he thinks the amount of extra congestion in California is not proportionate to the amount of extra funding California received.

 

As far as ODOT doing a better job because they are using less resources than California, that's a logical non-sequiter.  They aren't doing the same job.  California's transportation needs and level of service provided aren't the same as Ohio's.  California is a rapidly growing state that is expanding its transportation infrastructure to meet that growth.  Ohio is a stagnant state that is trying to expand its infrastructure to spur growth.  California's roads are in much better condition than Ohio's. 

I'm not exclusively supporting light rail funding either.  I think light rail can be a valuable and effective investment in some cities, specifically along high-density/high-growth corridors, but I'm also supportive of BRT or other transit modes that are less expensive and often more practical.  My point is that there are many ways to invest transportation dollars and I think that for far too long the focus in Ohio has been on outward growth and expansion into undeveloped areas where it could be doing much better to serve the population centers that have already been established and promoting development that will be sustainable in the long term.

 

And nowhere in my comments did I attempt to place any blame.  In fact, I specifically remember saying something to the effect that "these are my opinions."

Your arguments reflect either a refusal or an inability to comprehend what was written.  Nowhere does MGD state that California is less congested than Ohio.  He states that he thinks the amount of extra congestion in California is not proportionate to the amount of extra funding California received.

 

That makes no sense.  If they are receiving more money, they should have less congestion not more.  And if they are receiving 100 times more money than Ohio, as he claims, which works out to be 25-30 times more than Ohio per capita, then they should have considerably faster traffic flow, but they do not.

 

California's roads are in much better condition than Ohio's.

 

A completely absurd point, since the populated parts of California do not have freeze thaw cycles.  Like I said before, name one Northern state that has better quality roads than Ohio does.

 

California is a rapidly growing state that is expanding its transportation infrastructure to meet that growth.  Ohio is a stagnant state that is trying to expand its infrastructure to spur growth.

 

Ohio is not the only low-growth state.  NY, PA, MI, etc. are slow growing states which have much, much, much crappier roads than Ohio, both physically and in terms of traffic flow on expressways.

 

I'm not one who usually sticks up for government, especially state government.  But ODOT does a commendable job, that even I can't deny.  Perhaps I'm better able to see this because I've had the wheel alignment on my car repeatedly screwed up in Ithaca, NY, been stuck in the traffic jams of PA expressways numerous times, and driven on many 3rd world quality roads in the state of Michigan.  But I've been around the state of Ohio, and in comparision it's a drivers paradise.

You know it's not all ways about highway, there is 1000,'s of bridges that in terrible shape. The state shoudl have asked for more money to rebuild them. Wow i can't believe someone is happy the way Ohio transportation system is.

I thought I'd go ahead and break it down...what the major cities got out of the bill.  (P.S. Also be sure to check out the Cleveland thread.)

 

AKRON

* $10.3 million for a transportation hub at E. Market and Prospect streets downtown (could eventually include link to CVSR, Greyhound, and taxi service)

* $3.644 million for reconstruction of 100-year-old Mill Street bridge

* $2.8 million for interchange of Rt. 8 and Seasons Rd. on the Stow-Hudson line

* Improvements to OH-14 in Portage Co., OH-172 in Stark Co. and US-224 in Medina Co.

 

CINCINNATI

* $45.6 million for preliminary steps in the replacement of the Brent Spence Bridge

* $16.5 million for replacement of Waldvogel Viaduct

* $14 million for I-275/AA Highway connector in Campbell County

* $14 million to build a two-lane connector between U.S. 73 and U.S. 27 to re-route truck traffic around Oxford and Miami University (Oxford Connector)

* $5 million to widen and improve several interchanges on I-75 between Dayton and Cincinnati

* $2.4 million for reconstruction of Turkeyfoot Rd.

* $2.4 million for Airfield Road in Boone County (connects Burlington Pk and Turfway Rd.)

* $2 million to upgrade the I-75 interchange at state Route 122 for the new Middletown regional hospital

* $1.6 million for study of the I-471 corridor

 

CLEVELAND

* $85 million for new Inner Belt bridge ($107 million total received for project)

* $18 million for parking garages at the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals and the Cleveland Museum of Art

* $6.4 million to begin engineering work and perhaps some construction on the Towpath bike and hiking trail extension to Lake Erie from its current ending point at Harvard Avenue ($25M project)

* $5 million to build a pedestrian bridge from north of the Great Lakes Science Center to Voinovich Park in the North Coast Harbor

* $5 million for work on waterfront boardwalks and streets along the eastern edge of the Cuyahoga River in the Flats

* $4.4 million for a bridge to eliminate a railroad crossing in Berea

* $2 million for Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority road enhancements

* $836K for RTA Bus Acquisition

* $800K for access road to Memorial Shoreway

* $718K for Passenger Intermodal Center near Dock 32

* $418K for Fare Collection System Project, Cuyahoga County (RTA)

* $400K for Eagle Avenue Viaduct

* $125.4K for ODOT transit improvements

 

COLUMBUS

* 30.4 million for the Rickenbacker intermodal facility

* $14.4 million to reconstruct the interchange of I-70 and I-71 downtown

* $11.2 million to expand the state Route 665 bridge over Interstate 71 in Grove City

* $10.5 million to repair bridges crossing the Scioto on Town St. and Main St. downtown

* $7 million to build a 104,000 square foot garage for COTA to house buses serving people with disabilities

* $2.4 million for streetscape improvements in the RiverSouth district of downtown Columbus, which is located alongside the Scioto River

* $800K for streetscape improvements on Morse Rd. between Indianola and Karl

 

DAYTON

* $6 million (or $7.5 million?) for the Austin Rd. I-75 interchange

* $5.2 million for Riverscape Phase Three (pedestrian and bike paths)

* $5 million for reconstruction, widening and interchange upgrades on I-75 between Dayton and Cincinnati

* $4 million to make US-35 three contiguous lanes between I-75 and I-675

* $3.7 million to relocate North Street in downtown Springfield to accommodate a new hospital downtown

* $3 million to eliminate signals between North Fairfield Road and the Xenia bypass (US-35)

* $2 million for the redesign and improvement of the South Dixie Drive/Central Avenue Interchange in West Carrollton

* $2 million to demolish the Admiral Benbow building behind the Wright Stop Plaza and enhance it for better bus service

* $1 million to build an additional 10 miles of the Greater Miami River multi-use trails in Miami Co. and 5 miles in Warren Co.

* $627K for Dayton International Airport to study the feasibility of extending a CSX rail line from the company's main line just north of the airport

 

TOLEDO

* $7.4 million toward the Ohio Department of Transportation's planned remodeling of the I-75/I-475 junction in central Toledo ($116M project)

* $6.27 million for a new headquarters for the Toledo Area Regional Paratransit Service and other bus-related improvements at Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza

* $5.12 million for highway and railroad crossing improvements in Monroe, MI

* $5 million for safety improvements along State Rt. 309 in Lima

* $2 million toward the cost of the ongoing $30 million renovation of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Bridge

 

Akron Beacon Journal: Summit reaps highway aid (7/29/05)

City of Cleveland (press release): Mayor Campbell celebrates majr lobbying win (7/29/05)

Columbus Business First: Rickenbacker expansion may get federal boost (7/29/05)

Dayton Business Journal: Congress approves funds for local transportation projects (7/29/05)

Cincinnati Post: I-75 bridge included in $300B highway bill (7/30/05)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Key Cleveland projects win OK (7/30/05)

Dayton Daily News: Road plan will boost Valley (7/30/05)

Dayton Daily News: Local projects in the transportation authorization bill (7/30/05)

Toledo Blade: Highway bill hikes Ohio share 36% (7/30/05)

Toledo Blade: $25M set for local highway projects (8/11/05)

Dayton Daily News: Bill benefits area counties (8/11/05)

 

 

 

They could have asked for more Artimis signs along I-275 and I-74. They are 100k each.

Isn't it amazing that we don't have such a thread? We do now! A decent article appears below, but misses the whole "no option to the automobile" discussion or the impact on sprawl, the environment and social equity issues of ODOT spending 95-98 percent of its budget on highways. Interesting stuff on the highway lobby and the political BS...

_________________

 

http://www.cleveland.com/ohio/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1167557618243720.xml&coll=2

 

Gas-tax increase fuels ODOT building boom

Sunday, December 31, 2006

Ted Wendling and T.C. Brown

Plain Dealer Bureau

 

Columbus- With little controversy, Ohio lawmakers raised the gas tax by 6 cents in 2003. The move launched a period of prosperity never before seen at the state Department of Transportation and turned the agency into a political powerhouse.

 

Deftly pushed through the legislature by the Ohio Contractors Association, its construction industry allies and ODOT Director Gordon Proctor, the gas-tax increase has fueled Gov. Bob Taft's "Jobs and Progress" program, a 10-year, $5 billion highway construction boom.

 

So flush is ODOT that the agency is spending $70 million to replace every one of its 500,000 road signs - even though no federal regulations require it and ODOT's own studies show that fewer than 6,000 signs - barely 1 percent of the total - are missing, damaged or otherwise deficient.

 

............

 

TO READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE, GO TO:

http://members.cox.net/corridorscampaign/PD123106-Gas%20tax%20increase%20fuels%20ODOT%20building%20boom.pdf

We really need to push to have non-automobile gas taxes be spent on transportation alternatives as well as Ohio's share of federal gas taxes. 

 

I hope Strickland is successful in his desire to focus ODOT more on maintaining the highways we have and expanding alternative modes.  We at the grassroots need to push for this as well. 

 

 

The good news:transportation spending doescreate economic development and jobs. Imagine what we could do if we put this kind of effort into rail, local mass transit, bikeways, etc.....?

 

The bad news:transportation spending and how the $$$$are raised to support it in Ohio have created an almost feudal system between ODOT and the heavy construction industry and a modal monopoly that pushes highways at the expense of all else.

 

I have sent this article on to some people I know who are close to the Strickland administration.  Thought the reporters did miss a lot of the point KJP brought up, that omission (I hope) is glaring enough that it will also be seen by those who are most able to make change.

The good news:transportation spending doescreate economic development and jobs. Imagine what we could do if we put this kind of effort into rail, local mass transit, bikeways, etc.....?

 

That's especially true if ODOT funding were used to enable public-private partnerships to improve transportation choices, throughput/system capacity and core-city/urban vitality. My primary thinking is with the railroads, but could apply to other modes as well. Under a railroad-partnership scenario, ODOT would provide a share of funding to rail capacity enhancement projects that get more heavy trucks off the roads, thereby reducing the damage they do to pavement condition and bridges. The result is that ODOT pays less in capital and operating/maintenance funding than they would otherwise if it were a highway project because:

 

A. the railroad is providing a meaningful share of the project/engineering cost;

B. the time factor decreases, as expanding railroad capacity (unless it's a new rail line) isn't subject to the same environmental rules/reviews as a highway. And, of course, time is money;

C. the railroad, not ODOT, pays to operate/maintain the added rail capacity;

D. ODOT highway operating/maintenance costs decrease because there aren't as many heavy trucks beating the hell out of roads/bridges;

E. oh, and by the way, a little thing called safety improves, both on the railroad (with less rail traffic congestion and more grade-crossing separations) and on the highways (with less heavy trucks mixing with those tiny four-wheelers).

 

What a concept! And all for the price of $25 million to $30 million annually in state gas taxes paid by "off-road" (farm equipment, landscaping equipment, etc.) consumers of gasoline!

That PD article is instructive on how corrupt our system really is. One group has so dominated things that we spend more on replacing signs than we do on transit, rail and water transport combined. And this for signs that don't even need to be replaced!

 

We all want to see the development of a diverse transportation system that will meet the needs of the state, but this article is a wake-up call and shows how difficult it might be to achieve that goal.

 

The election of Strickland might be a step forward, but it's only a start. There is much more to do.

You pretty much just described how the Ohio Rail Development Commission currently works with the railroads..... of course with a vastly smaller budget than the "Borg" over at ODOT.  (ORDC's budget for this current fiscal year is $2.7-million.)

 

 

I hope Strickland is successful in his desire to focus ODOT more on maintaining the highways we have and expanding alternative modes.

 

That may be his desire, but I very much doubt this being possible. We have too many highways and just maintaining them costs a lot of money, which sucks money away from any other alternatives. It's a vicious cycle. Who chooses those in charge of ODOT anyway?

Who chooses who is in charge of ODOT? The Borg...er...contractors, of course, who else??

 

Hmmm...let's see...$2 million for rail in Ohio vs. $2.7 billion for roads. It's plain to see we are spending waaay too much on choo-choos!!  :roll:

KJP you need to have a chat with those two reporters and bring up the disconnect you mentioned above. There is also a connection with an earlier series the PD did on Peak Oil, but that seems to have been overlooked as well.

IA decent article appears below, but misses the whole "no option to the automobile" discussion or the impact on sprawl, the environment and social equity issues of ODOT spending 95-98 percent of its budget on highways.

 

That's kind of a "Land Train in the Punch Bowl" situation, isn't it.

 

But really: thanks for the thread, KJP. I will follow it religiously.

Who chooses who is in charge of ODOT? The Borg...er...contractors, of course, who else??

 

Geez, and all this time I thought it was the governor.

That bit about spending more on signs that don't need replacing than on transit is great fodder for a group like AAO to file away for some hearing testimony or well timed press release sometime. 

You are reading my mind.  :-D

 

BTW, I did see something a few years ago...a memo or something...that had the highway contractors putting forth a list of those they wanted to see heading up ODOT. They have hand-picked ODOT directors for years, except for Gordon Proctor who was a planner rather than an engineer, as always had been the case previously. Believe it or not, they didn't like him!

 

What we have now is a revolving door "old-boy" network of people who rotate in and out of lobbying firms, ODOT, highway contractors and back again. It's no wonder things are so one-sided.

 

 

Let's hope they don't have undue influence over Strickland's replacement.  The elections brought a sea-change in state-wide offices this year that maybe they won't be able to hand-pick the next ODOT director either. 

 

There needs to be serious campaign finance and lobbying reform if there is going to be any real, permanent change, though.

Finally got around to reading the story forward and back. Disgusting, and worthy of outrage. This is Teapot Dome Scandal levels of corruption. I know we won't see it in the legislature, but it wouldn't hurt to go for some grassroots action. I bet The Dispatch would run this story (anything to save money on typewriter ribbons). Don't you have "connections" with the transportation desk there KJP?

I used to, but my friend at the Dispatch now works for worthy causes.

The Dispatch printed this re-written version of the P-D's story today: highlighting the point about the Highway Patrol getting screwed by Proctor & Co.

 

Patrol loses out as ODOT rakes in funds

Gas-tax increase reportedly will pay for unneeded signs

Monday, January 01, 2007

 

 

CLEVELAND (AP) The Ohio Department of Transportation is taking advantage of millions of dollars coming in from a 2003 increase in the states gasoline tax, even finding $70 million for road signs it might never need, The Plain Dealer of Cleveland reported yesterday.

 

The spending spree comes in part from the $190 million a year in gas-tax money that wont go to the State Highway Patrol under a change in the formula used to split the money. The patrol will get no gas tax money after July 1, 2007.

 

The legislature overwhelmingly improved the 6-cent-per gallon increase in 2003 after pleas from ODOT that the states roads and bridges needed an overhaul and heavy lobbying by the road-construction industry. The increase is being phased in with a 2-cent increase each year, with the final increase in 2007.

 

The tax increase adds $500 million a year for ODOT to spend on bridge and road maintenance on top of the $800 million the agency already would be spending before the increase.

 

......

 

http://dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2007/01/01/20070101-F5-01.html

 

^ The Dispatch. Always on the cutting edge of the recycling movement.

 

Hmm. The public safety angle. Cheap, but effective.

 

The piece as presented completely misses point about ODOT's rampant corruption and regressive priorities. But hey: The Dispatch.

 

Thanks noozer.

I think I'll go somewhat on the offensive here. ODOT is flush with money that other states would only dream about - like West Virginia and Kentucky, for instance. Ohio's transportation infrastructure is strained at this point, with many rural four-lane interstates that are operating at LOS B to E at points and is simply not sustainable. Interstates 71, 75, etc. need to be widened to three-lanes in each direction, which requires the widening or reconstruction of interstate bridges, the installation of jersey barriers and drainage devices, and upgrading other safety features. This isn't cheap.

 

Adding onto that, many of Ohio's urban interstates feature severe deficiencies and issues. Roadways such as the Interstate 70/71 multiplex through downtown Columbus, the interstates through Dayton, Cincinnati, Toledo, etc. all require attention and reconstruction. This will require the addition of more lanes, reconstructing the roadways for improved sight distances and improved geometrics, removing left-hand ramps, and reconstructing bridges, along with installing sound-walls and other safety devices. The study for the I-70/71 junction in Columbus costs $3.1 million alone; reconstruction could easily top $1 billion.

 

Then look at the rest areas and welcome centers along the interstate highway system. Many are congested, outdated and are not on a city/county's sewer and water system. The latter needs to be corrected wherever it is not present at since on-site pumps and facilities are not adequate. Expansions are required to serve a greater truck population. Rural highways that feature rest areas, such as US 23 and other state routes need upgrading from the out-houses that line them today into modern indoor flush toilets. To think a DOT still has outhouses...

 

And finally signage. Ohio has many outdated signage that needs replacing. To say that it isn't 'deficent' is only scratching the surface. One must take into account the money that goes into maintaining the current set - for instance, those with button copy. Many of these signs still exist and were installed until 2004 (although one new set went up along US 52 in 2006!) and are becoming increasingly more expensive to maintain since virtually no DOT's use this type of lettering. It is also not nearly as reflective and poor maintenance can make it hard or downright impossible to see at night.

 

Many guide signs also feature center-exit tabs and other deficiencies that need to be corrected.