November 30, 201014 yr What's everyone gasping at? The fact that the ex director of ODOT got a cushy job as an asphalt lobbyist? Before you gasp any further, hold your breath till you see what position the current director accepts, and all of Strickland's other ex-appointees...
November 30, 201014 yr Thanks for posting that, KJP. Very informative.... albeit hardly surprising. Step your game up, gottaplan. You're working twice as hard defending Kasich's cronyism over at cleveland.bomb ;)
November 30, 201014 yr What's everyone gasping at? The fact that the ex director of ODOT got a cushy job as an asphalt lobbyist? Before you gasp any further, hold your breath till you see what position the current director accepts, and all of Strickland's other ex-appointees... I'm pretty sure she's going to retire and spend time with her husband. She's pushing 70. The point is, the status quo transportation system, where 97% of all transportation tax dollars is going to roads, is horribly failing this state. If we spent just 8.5% (the same number of households in Ohio without cars, NOT COUNTING where one car is shared among multiple wage earners, or where an elderly person lives, or where the car may not be reliably maintained, etc. etc.) of ODOT's budget on trains and transit, we would be spending $250 million per year! Instead ODOT spent $50 million on transit and perhaps another $30 million on freight rail and grade crossings (also a highway benefit). At least that was better than the year before when ODOT spent only $10 million on transit. We will probably see the $10 million figure (at most) under Kasich/Wray. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 30, 201014 yr With all these connections to the asphalt industry I have one question; why aren't our cities covered with multi-use asphalt trails?
November 30, 201014 yr Because they don't produce gas taxes. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 30, 201014 yr Step your game up, gottaplan. You're working twice as hard defending Kasich's cronyism over at cleveland.bomb ;) Step up my game? Sorry but I wasn't aware this was a competition. I thought it was a free exchange of thoughts and ideas. Perhaps I was mistaken? And I'm not defending anyone so quit trying to classify me as a Kasich supporter. Go back and read my posts with an unbiased eye and you'll see that it's more accurate to say that I'm sick of all politicians, right & left alike. With every other thread on this board saying "OMG! We're all doomed under Kasich!" That may be, but get real, what has any democrat or republican majority done to significantly advance things away from the status quo. Whether you're a righty or a lefty, a senator, governor, president or city mayor, most of these politicians have to answer to those who put them in power. So why be surprised when they make it plain as day after getting elected who they plan to dole out favors to. Is that defending Kasich? No. It's business as usual for both parties. So back to my original comment, what's everyone gasping at?
November 30, 201014 yr I'm not gasping at anything. I just stated "oh dear jesus" in light of the fact that this is simply incredibly bad news for anyone that cares about cities in the state of Ohio. Progress had been made in transportation policy in the last 4 years here. It was slow, and incremental... but it was happening. And it will now all be brought to a screaching halt.
November 30, 201014 yr Democrats and Republicans don't want multi-modal cities with great urban neighborhoods in Ohio and neither do our residents: take it from someone who lives in a city that is under total control by Democrats and has a large urban Democrat population, yet almost all transportation dollars are funding road widening. Urban residents are OK with that. The only difference is that they'll now point the blame at Republicans. I'm not surprised at all because the foundation for multi-modal transportation (urban residents who demand it) simply don't exist in a large enough number. Period.
November 30, 201014 yr I can't see how his ODOT would have screwed up the Innerbelt project any worse
December 1, 201014 yr I believe that was a bipartisan pooch-screw. This project has been in the federal planning pipeline for more than a decade and the discarding of the southern bridge alignment happened under Taft/Proctor. I remember it well because Proctor and his entourage came into Sun Newspapers' office in North Olmsted because we were covering the Inner Belt project and I was Sun's leading researcher and writer on the subject. I was also writing opinion columns about the need for the southern alignment. Proctor and I had an interesting conversation that day (that was in 2005 or 2006). He used a lot of fear tactics to urge that the project not be delayed any further. And what a speedy project this has been since..... But that's what ODOT does. It does things a certain way because that's how its always been done. And to suggest anything different will be responded to like an alarm clock that's trying to wake someone who hasn't gotten enough sleep and has another boring day ahead of him. He's going to find every reason in the world not stir and to stay in their comfort zone. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
December 1, 201014 yr I am not trying to be a defender of Kasich, but is there any way to look at the glass half full (or quater full...) When he was in charge of ODOT, did he help with the caps over High St. in Columbus? What about the waterfront line, or dual hub/Euclid Corridor/Silverline/Heathline? I honestly don't know the answers, but did ODOT do anything right when he was in charge last time?
December 1, 201014 yr Was Jerry Wray's job at US Bridge a payoff for his accomodations as a public official? This looks like the "revolving door", a legal form of influence peddling. He does not hold both jobs at once, so he cannot be accused of a "conflict of interest" or graft. http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20101130/NEWS01/101130004/Jerry-Wray-set-to-return-as-Ohio-transportation-director Wray, who served for Gov. George Voinovich and Gov. Bob Taft while at ODOT, then worked for U.S. Bridge, from which he retired two years ago. To his credit, Governor Taft built a lot of rail trails.
December 1, 201014 yr ^so your thought process is that any position the guy took with a contractor after his position as ODOT director is a payoff? Of course there's some back scratching going on but don't you think that a person who managed thousands of workers, and a billion budget could be useful to a company in a leadership role?
December 1, 201014 yr Was Jerry Wray's job at US Bridge a payoff for his accomodations as a public official? This looks like the "revolving door", a legal form of influence peddling. He does not hold both jobs at once, so he cannot be accused of a "conflict of interest" or graft. http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20101130/NEWS01/101130004/Jerry-Wray-set-to-return-as-Ohio-transportation-director Wray, who served for Gov. George Voinovich and Gov. Bob Taft while at ODOT, then worked for U.S. Bridge, from which he retired two years ago. To his credit, Governor Taft built a lot of rail trails. I think its just the newspaper trying to make a story out of nothing. US Bridge sells mostly to counties and townships, not ODOT. This is like Director Molitoris' previous job as president of Railpower Technologies, which sells "green locomotive" technology, and benefited greatly from Gov Strickland's Diesel Emissions Reduction Grant Program. She resigned that position to take her assistant director job at ODOT, but her company had been well-served by then. Big difference is that no newspaper took a cheap shot at her.
December 1, 201014 yr I think some have a misunderstanding of the reason why others of us might not be jumping up and down with joy over this appointment. And it has nothing to do with how he got the lobbyist job. For me at least, it has more to do with the policies I would like ODOT to adopt.... policies which his background coming into THIS job strongly suggests he won't adopt.
January 6, 201114 yr ODOT press release sent by e-mail.... Historic ODOT Director to step down First woman director led record construction investment in multi-modal transportation system COLUMBUS (Thursday, January 6, 2011) - Historic in her position and the accomplishments she directed - including the state’s largest investment in transportation construction in Ohio history - Ohio Department of Transportation Director Jolene M. Molitoris will step down from her position January 9. Appointed in 2009 by Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, Director Molitoris is the first woman to lead the century-old department. Under her leadership, ODOT made investments in every county of the state and in every major mode of travel and shipping. Most notable, she led the department’s historic $2.1 billion construction program in state fiscal year 2010 - largest in Ohio history by more than 30 percent - at a time when ODOT staffing was at its lowest in 30 years. This foundation for transforming how ODOT strategically invests in and supports a multi-modal transportation system is documented at: http://www.dot.state.oh.us/policy/Documents/ODOT-Foundation_for_Transformation.pdf. The text of Director Molitoris’ letter to Governor Strickland is below: Governor Ted Strickland The Statehouse Columbus, OH 43215 Dear Governor Strickland, Due to the transition of Administration, effective January 10, 2011, I have been notified that I will be released from my current employment with the State of Ohio as of midnight on January 9, 2011. Accordingly, I resign effective as of that date and time. Just two years ago - on January 6, 2009 - the citizen-volunteers of Ohio’s 21st Century Transportation Priorities Task Force issued a clear challenge: “We believe that in the face of economic upheaval, strategic investments in transportation can bring new jobs and help retain the precious ones we already have. By boldly reinventing our transportation system now, we can position Ohio to stimulate and drive the growth of the future.” That’s exactly what we did. Under your leadership, we redefined the mission of ODOT - to seven simple words - Moving Ohio into a Prosperous New World. The status quo was not acceptable. To create jobs in Ohio and rebuild our economy, we delivered on the largest commitment in the state’s history to improving Ohio's transportation system, with more than $2 billion in construction projects in 2010 and another $2 billion in construction for 2011. With the help of transportation partners in every section of the state, we built a strong foundation for continued transformation in Ohio’s multi-modal system. Over the past four years, Team ODOT… * awarded an historic 2,534 construction projects totaling $5.3 billion and administered 810 local-let projects for a total of $1.12 billion; * directed more than a billion dollars to improving the safety of state and local bridges; * documented fewer than 4800 fatalities on state roadways, with 2009 representing the safest year on our roads and the safest year at roadway-railroad crossings; * assisted Ohio transit agencies in purchasing 1,170 new fuel-efficient and greener buses, worth more than $142.6 million; * invested historic levels of contracted or subcontracted work totaling $575,454,791 with minority and women-owned (DBE) firms and companies; * surpassed California as third in nation in total active freight rail miles and witnessed a 14 percent increase in Ohioans riding passenger trains; * invested $21.9 million in new sidewalk projects and $66.1 million in new bike path projects; * and raised $1.6 million and 44,294 pounds of food for Ohio charities through employee donations to the Combined Charitable Campaign and the Plow Through Hunger food drive. I am very proud of Team ODOT in partnership with so many public and private entities and individuals who achieved so much return on the investment of precious tax dollars and human resources. Historic achievement occurred on so many levels. What we have undertaken during your administration was not simply 'change for change's sake' - together we have led a transformational effort to better connect Team ODOT's work to Ohio's economic engine, recognizing that transportation and the economy are inextricably linked. It has been an honor to serve in your Administration. Because of your leadership, we have put Ohioans to work in record numbers. We have built transportation projects that are important and are MOVING OHIO INTO A PROSPEROUS NEW WORLD! Sincerely, Jolene M. Molitoris Director, Ohio Department of Transportation ### For more information contact: Scott Varner, ODOT Central Office Communications, at 614-644-8640. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 9, 201114 yr After Kasich is sworn in tomorrow, a number of documents are likely to start disappearing from ODOT's website. Here are a few of the likely casualties. You might want to save these for your own records..... http://www.dot.state.oh.us/policy/Documents/ODOT-Foundation_for_Transformation.pdf http://www.dot.state.oh.us/policy/2010-2011BusinessPlan/Documents/ODOT2010-2011BusinessPlan-WEB.pdf And just about everything at: http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Rail/Programs/passenger/3CisME/Pages/default.aspx "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 9, 201114 yr January 9, 2011 A transportation tale of two cities – and states By Ken Prendergast Sometimes the best way to reveal how miserably underserved Ohio is when it comes to local, regional and intercity public transportation is to compare two similar cities in separate states. Our tale of two cities starts in Warren, OH, 15 miles west of downtown Youngstown. Once a proud manufacturing center, it has been bleeding jobs and residents for several decades. Today it has a population of 43,000 (down from 60,000 in 1970). Warren is set in Trumbull County which has 210,000 residents, 3,100 of whom commute 50 miles each way to jobs in Cleveland, Census data shows. We don’t have to look far for Warren’s comparison city. Of nearly equal distance from downtown Youngstown to the east is New Castle, PA. It is virtually the eastern mirror of Warren, except that New Castle is smaller and has more hills. And like Warren, it has been bleeding manufacturing jobs and residents. Today, New Castle has a population of 25,000 (down from 40,000 in 1970). It is in Lawrence County, population 90,000, of whom 3,000 commute nearly 50 miles each way to jobs in Pittsburgh, according to Census data. But the similarities stop when it comes to public transportation. READ MORE AT: http://neo-trans.blogspot.com/2011/01/transportion-tale-of-two-cities-and.html "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 10, 201114 yr Sheesh, they just got dial-a-ride? Even Ashville (in Pickaway County; pop. 3000) has had that consistently for years. Oh, that's your blog? Neato.
January 10, 201114 yr They used to have regular route transit service, Greyhound and Lakefront bus services. They lost all of it. So did most cities of Warren's size (ie: Steubenville, Canton, Lorain, Lima, Chillicothe, Marietta, etc. etc). Then Warren got a dial-a-ride service to have at least something. And Canton has local transit plus a single bus departure out of town via Lakefront Lines... Of course, back in the day, all these cities used to have much more.... Compared to now.... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 10, 201114 yr FYI. Sent by e-mail today....... __________ On behalf of the Governor and myself, I would like to welcome the following team members who will be serving a valuable role for both the State and ODOT. Chief of Staff Greg Murphy Assistant Director/Chief Engineer Jim Barna Assistant Director Mike Cope Assistant Director Mike Flynn Legislative DD Andrew Bremer Comunications DD Melissa Cook Human Resource DD Nick Nickolson Planning DD Jennifer Townley, Acting District 1 Kirk Slusher District 2 Todd Audet (effective 1/18) Al Rakas, Acting District 3 Allen Biehl (effective 1/18) Ken Wright, Acting District 4 Tony Urankar (effective 1/18) Jack Noble, Acting District 5 Julie Gwinn, Acting District 6 Ferzan Ahmad District 7 Matt Parrill, Acting District 8 Joe Bassil, Acting District 9 Vaughn Wilson District 10 Steve Williams District 11 Lloyd MacAdam District 12 Myron Pakush I am excited to be back with the Department and looking forward to working with this great Team! Jerry Wray Director "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 14, 201114 yr ODOT's new leader finds budget tighter than in '90s tenure Monday, February 14, 2011 02:51 AM By Robert Vitale THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The last time Jerry Wray ran the Ohio Department of Transportation, a booming economy was putting more people to work, more gasoline into our tanks and more gas-tax money into highway construction. With his appointment to another tour of duty by Gov. John Kasich, Wray has returned to an ODOT much different from the one he left in 1999. A road-building binge fueled by federal stimulus money is about to end in Ohio, which means the state will have as much as $700million less to spend in the next fiscal year. Read more at: http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/02/14/copy/odots-new-leader-finds-budget-tighter-than-in-90s-tenure.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
February 15, 201114 yr Ohio to see 74% increase in federal transportation spending By Ken McCall, Staff Writer Updated 6:35 AM Tuesday, February 15, 2011 Ohio stands to see a one-year 74 percent increase in federal highway planning and construction dollars under President Obama’s proposed 2012 budget. Fueled by Obama’s promise last fall to pump a $50 billion “up-front investment” into transportation projects, the state’s federal highway funding would reach more than $2.2 billion for the year. The state would also see increases in airport improvement funds and federal transit grants if the budget were approved as is. Airport improvement funds would increase by almost $50 million, or 57 percent, to reach $136 billion in 2012. Transit grants would increase by $36.5 million, or 16.3 percent, to reach $260 million. Read more at: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/springfield-news/ohio-to-see-74-increase-in-federal-transportation-spending-1081576.html
February 15, 201114 yr Don't starve Ohio mass transit: editorial Published: Sunday, February 13, 2011, 4:30 AM By The Plain Dealer Editorial Board Gov. John Kasich isn't obliged to fulfill Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland's campaign promises. After all, Ohioans chose last November to replace Strickland with the GOP's Kasich. Still, the new Republican administration is making a mistake pruning mass-transit aid when the future requires broader thinking about transportation budgets than just more of the same highway investments. Strickland vowed last fall to channel $50 million in federal aid to Ohio's local mass-transit agencies, including the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, and $50 million more in each of the next two years. Fifteen days later, Kasich was governor-elect. READ MORE AT: http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2011/02/dont_starve_ohio_mass_transit.html "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 9, 201114 yr Word is that two state legislators will seek to restore transit funding by eliminating the proposed tax cut for wealthy petroleum companies.... ODOT budget update: tax break for petroleum industry, cuts to already pathetic public transit funding The House Finance Committee passed a substitute version of HB114, the transportation budget bill, on Monday. Included among the many amendments was a provision “clarifying” that when the Commercial Activity Tax was created in HB66 back in 2005, it had not been the intent of the General Assembly to apply the tax to exchanges of motor fuel between petroleum companies. In other words, the state has been collecting revenue on this activity for four years, but with this amendment, that will now cease. The benefit to the industry is estimated at up to $10 million per year. By way of comparison, the bill reduces funding for public transit by $30 million per year compared to what the Strickland administration proposed. Everyone understands that funds are limited, but in this case, it was determined that a tax break for the petroleum industry was more important than limiting the magnitude of cuts to public transit. http://ohiobudgetwatch.com/2011/03/petroleum/ "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 10, 201114 yr Word is that two state legislators will seek to restore transit funding by eliminating the proposed tax cut for wealthy petroleum companies.... ODOT budget update: tax break for petroleum industry, cuts to already pathetic public transit funding The House Finance Committee passed a substitute version of HB114, the transportation budget bill, on Monday. Included among the many amendments was a provision “clarifying” that when the Commercial Activity Tax was created in HB66 back in 2005, it had not been the intent of the General Assembly to apply the tax to exchanges of motor fuel between petroleum companies. In other words, the state has been collecting revenue on this activity for four years, but with this amendment, that will now cease. The benefit to the industry is estimated at up to $10 million per year. By way of comparison, the bill reduces funding for public transit by $30 million per year compared to what the Strickland administration proposed. Everyone understands that funds are limited, but in this case, it was determined that a tax break for the petroleum industry was more important than limiting the magnitude of cuts to public transit. http://ohiobudgetwatch.com/2011/03/petroleum/ It goes to show how all the talk of building business and jobs by this administration is a lot of hot air. They cannot be serious about accomplishing such a goal if they are not also committed to adequately funding developing a more diverse transportation system that (among other things) enables more people to get to and from jobs.
March 10, 201114 yr BTW, the chances of those two state legislators -- Reps. Foley and Goyal -- being successful are virtually nil. Both are Democrats. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 10, 201114 yr The article says it is a cut to what StricKland was proposing. How does the money that was allocated compare to the actual budget for last year?
March 11, 201114 yr Strickland hadn't proposed it. It was actual funding that Strickland had structured, totaling $50 million. The reduced amount is probably going to be about $20 million to $30 million total (depending on if general revenue funds for transit are kept when the GRF comes up for debate). Fortunately that amount is higher than since the last years of the Taft Administration. It was $40 million in 2001. Taft and Strickland both cut transit funding, before Strickland tapped flexible federal transportation funds to increase the transit budget from $10 million to $50 million -- something he could have done at any time during his administration. Sadly he waited until the last month before his failed re-election bid. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 21, 201114 yr Does ODOT publish the scores for projects under TRAC? If so, where? I can't seem to find them on the ODOT website.
March 21, 201114 yr Does ODOT publish the scores for projects under TRAC? If so, where? I can't seem to find them on the ODOT website. http://www.dot.state.oh.us/trac/Documents/2011%20Draft%20TRAC%20List%20(December%209,%202010).pdf "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 3, 201114 yr I think Ohio is getting closer to some transportation-related legal challenges, especially against communities like Beavercreek for denying citizens a basic civil right. If an ADA-noncompliant curb cut is a violation of civil rights, wouldn't the outright exclusion of public transportation access be considered one, too? Martin Gottlieb: Non-drivers’ losses in B’Creek, 3C show a pattern By the Dayton Daily News | Friday, April 1, 2011, 10:40 AM Look closely enough and you might see a similarity between Beavercreek’s buses-to-the-mall issue and the fight over 3C, the aborted plan for passenger trains in Ohio. During the 3C fight, one heard again and again that trains — especially slow trains — were not going to be able to woo Ohioans out of their cars. That argument came from leaders of the opposition. Well, it is certainly true that some train advocates would like to woo people out of cars, for reasons of environmentalism and energy conservation. But a lot of people don’t have to be wooed out of cars. They’re already not in them. READ MORE AT: http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/opinion/entries/2011/04/01/martin_gottlieb_nondrivers_los.html?cxtype=feedbot "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 3, 201114 yr The comments at the Facebook page are interesting. This should be a simple deal to re-route a bus line that already goes out there. You know, Ive heard tell about these attitudes towards public transit and always thought they were urban legends. I would have NEVER believed this if I hadn't seen how this issue played out in Beavercreek. Amazing.
April 4, 201114 yr Almost by definition, the suburbs are the domain of the middle and upper classes. The lower classes cannot reach the suburbs because they do not drive. Some suburban residents realize this, and want to keep it that way. One way to exclude the poor is to prohibit public transportation. This is often explicitly written into zoning variances and conditions. Another way to exclude the poor is by exclusionary zoning - minimum lot size, minimum house size, etc. Still another way is to harass them for loitering, panhandling, jaywalking, or a number of other non-violent crimes. Some suburban communities are more blatant about this than others. It also happens in cities; for example, the closing of hillside steps in Cincinnati.
April 4, 201114 yr It's not exlcusive to Dayton. In Columbus, COTA buses are not allowed on the mall property at Polaris Fashion Mall. Nor are they allowed in the interior streets of Easton Town Center. To get to Easton by bus, one gets dropped off at a "transportation center" on the North side of a very busy, eight lanes of Morse Road. And assuming you make it safely across, you've got to hoof it a good quarter mile before you get into Easton Town Center. Polaris is a similar challenge to all but the fleet of foot. I agree with KJP....I think we are getting close to the day when this may become an issue in court. As he puts it so well.... "If an ADA-noncompliant curb cut is a violation of civil rights, wouldn't the outright exclusion of public transportation access be considered one, too?"
April 4, 201114 yr ^For that matter, ADA rules say that new developments have to have accessible paths with ramps of no more than 8%. New residential streets with sidewalks that are publicly maintained often have slopes greater than that, but I don't think it's ever been challenged.
April 4, 201114 yr I am anticipating that some will respond: we have demand-response transit vehicles to take people where the regular transit system doesn't go, so this is not a violation of civil rights. The counter to that is this statement at: http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/opinion/entries/2011/04/03/ellen_belcher_bcreek_may_face.html?cxtype=feedbot Some pointed to Greene County’s small transit operation — Greene Coordinated Agency Transportation System or Greene CATS — as an alternative to RTA. But Dayton Daily News Staff Writer Mark Gokavi interviewed its executive director, who said the operation turns away 400 people a month because it doesn’t have the money or buses to meet the demand for transportation. Thus, one can argue that Ohio's transportation spending policy may violate the civil rights of the disabled, the elderly and possibly others too. That point was argued at: http://www.greatcity.org/2010/09/08/does-our-transportation-funding-violate-the-civil-rights-act/ "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 4, 201114 yr http://www.columbusunderground.com/high-speed-highway-to-connect-ohio-cities April Fools: High-Speed Highway to Connect Ohio Cities By CU Staff | April 1, 2011 1:30pm | Filed under Transit | Comments Ohio Governor John Kasich and ODOT Director Jerry Wray jointly announced a bold new transportation plan today that would revolutionize the way Ohioans travel. As a follow-up to Wednesday’s approval of ODOT’s $6.8-billion budget, a new super-super-highway was just unveiled this morning, which would connect Ohio’s major cities with 269 miles of new road. The project is expected to cost $4.5-trillion dollars and is scheduled to open Summer 2025.
April 4, 201114 yr ^For that matter, ADA rules say that new developments have to have accessible paths with ramps of no more than 8%. New residential streets with sidewalks that are publicly maintained often have slopes greater than that, but I don't think it's ever been challenged. ADA allows the grade of the walk to follow the (longitudinal) grade of the road if the grade of the road is steeper than 8%, for walks that are parallel to the road as part of the road section
April 5, 201114 yr Almost by definition, the suburbs are the domain of the middle and upper classes. The lower classes cannot reach the suburbs because they do not drive. Some suburban residents realize this, and want to keep it that way. Suburbs are now poorer on average than core cities. There have been several discussions on this site about this recent phenomenon.
April 5, 201114 yr Suburbs are now poorer on average than core cities. There have been several discussions on this site about this recent phenomenon. I'm not sure that is quite true. I think more accurately one would say that most of the growth in poverty across the country has come in the suburbs rather than in the core cities. Broadly, there is more wealth in the 'burbs, but generally 'burbs have more problems with poverty, while the core cities are seeing more upwardly mobile populations.
April 12, 201114 yr http://www.dot.state.oh.us/news/Pages/TRACApproves$70MillionInNewTransportationFunding.aspx 4/12/2011 TRAC Approves $70 Million In New Transportation Funding Projects Focused on Economic Development and Safety COLUMBUS (Tuesday, April 12, 2011) – The Transportation Review Advisory Council (TRAC) gave Ohio a shot in the arm today as they approved $70 million for new transportation projects that will boost the economy and improve safety on Ohio’s roads. TRAC - the independent council that assists the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) in selecting its largest investments – overwhelmingly voted to approve funding for safety and economic development transportation projects around Ohio. The approved list of projects ends a year-long selection process. “Today concluded an open and fair selection process which delivered a final project list that will increase economic development and safety for Ohioans,” said ODOT Director Jerry Wray who also chairs the TRAC. “We had to make some difficult decisions to keep the list within fiscal balance while still keeping pace with our state’s growing transportation needs.” In addition to projects already under construction, the list includes projects ready for new construction and projects that will be studied and designed for potential construction in the future. TRAC approved funding for two projects expected to bring economic development to Ohio. The Pickaway East/West Connector received $2.7 million for design and $800,000 went to the Mid-Ohio Intermodal Facility in Marion. Two safety projects to separate railroad crossings from roadways with underpasses include $13.2 million for CR73/McCord Rd. near Toledo and $16.6 million for SR 58 in the village of Wellington. Nearly $15 million was also approved for the Mahoning Rd. Transit Corridor, which will add new transit service along SR 153 in city of Canton. The second phase of the State Route 42 widening through the city of Strongsville will also be completed with the $6 million in TRAC funds approved today. Last spring, local municipalities, county commissioners and county engineers, metropolitan planning organizations, and port authorities submitted applications for new construction investments as well as funding for new planning, design, and right of way work to the TRAC. Click HERE (http://www.dot.state.oh.us/trac/Pages/Default.aspx) for the final approved TRAC list. For more information contact: Melissa Ayers, Central Office Communications, at 614-644-8640 or your local ODOT District Communications Office "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 13, 201114 yr Still bummed, though not surprised, that the Clifton Blvd Enhancement project was axed. Nearly every project approved is some sort of suburban freeway widening or new interchange. At least it fosters development of new Cracker Barells. :laugh:
April 13, 201114 yr Agreed.....but actually there are two good railroad grade separation projects on the appproved list.... McCord Rd in Toledo and SR 58 in Wellington. It will eliminate two busy and dangerous railroad grade crossings.
April 13, 201114 yr Agreed.....but actually there are two good railroad grade separation projects on the appproved list.... McCord Rd in Toledo and SR 58 in Wellington. It will eliminate two busy and dangerous railroad grade crossings. I'm sure everyone on here would agree with expenditures on safety--just not those designed to encourage more sprawl!
April 22, 201114 yr ODOT to shelve some projects Friday, April 22, 2011 03:04 AM By Robert Vitale THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The Ohio Department of Transportation said it can afford $1 billion for highway planning during the next eight years, but it has $10.3 billion worth of projects in the planning stage. As a result, many of those projects could be moved off the priority list, Director Jerry Wray said yesterday. "Local leaders around the state can expect to hear some yeses, some maybes and - for the first time in a long time - some nos. The money is not there," Wray said at the annual State of the Region luncheon hosted by the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission. Read more at: http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/04/22/odot-to-shelve-some-projects.html?sid=101
April 22, 201114 yr ^ Looks like Ohio Republicans might be waking up a bit to fiscal reality. If Kasich wants to add toll booths to new road projects instead of raising the gas tax (taxes are evil, right?), then so be it. Forcing roads to "pay for themselves" will be a great way to encourage rail development! A two-year transportation-spending bill signed recently by Gov. John Kasich allows the state to enlist private companies to build and maintain highways. Wray said that strategy - the companies then could charge tolls or get payments from the state - could stretch government's road-building dollars. MORPC Executive Director Chester Jourdan said leaders need to look at new ways to pay for roadwork to keep people and goods moving. Gasoline taxes have paid for highway projects historically, but consumption declines during the recession and recent price spikes have made that source less reliable.
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