Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

PROJECT SLOWDOWN
Governor: Roadwork too costly
Friday, February 16, 2007
James Nash
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH


Gov. Ted Strickland yesterday applied the brakes to Ohio?’s ambitious road-building plans, saying the state will take on more than $1.2 billion in debt by 2014 if it sticks to its project schedule.

Strickland said he hasn?’t decided to kill any specific undertaking and emphasized that the state would continue to fund roadwork necessary for safety, congestion relief and economic development.

But he signaled that the Ohio Department of Transportation will slow the rapid pace of construction that former Gov. Bob Taft dubbed his ''Jobs and Progress Plan.''

Several major projects in central Ohio hang in the balance, including about $220 million in upgrades to the I-270 interchanges with Rts. 315 and 23 and I-71, and the reconstruction of the I-70/71 split through Downtown that?’s supposed to cost about $500 mil- lion.

Both of those projects are classified as top priorities for ODOT. The department?’s spokesman, Scott Varner, said it would be premature to speculate on whether they?’re in jeopardy.

Strickland noted that ODOT?’s construction costs have increased 30 percent over the past four years and that 15 percent of the department?’s budget would go toward servicing debt by 2015 if it sticks to its plans.

He said the nine-member panel that doles out dollars for major highway projects ''overpromised'' in budgeting more than $5 billion for work over the next nine years.

''I am concerned that through the years, (the Transportation Review Advisory Council) has made more commitments to our local communities than there are funds to finance them,'' Strickland said at a luncheon for Ohio newspaper executives.

cont.

''Even if we borrowed the money up to those record amounts, all of the projects that TRAC committed to could not be funded. I don?’t think that?’s a responsible way to partner with our local communities.''

The governor appoints six members of the committee, while one each is appointed by the Senate president and House speaker. The chairman is the ODOT director, who is appointed by the governor.

William L. Gardner, a member of the panel who is the service director of Sheffield Lake, defended its long-term planning. He said that not all projects on the list will get funding and be completed, but it?’s best to have items on the list in case the state receives a windfall.

''While we may be overly optimistic, we may not be,'' Gardner said. ''Nobody knows what?’s going to happen in 2009 and 2010. It?’s not a magic trick.''

In concluding that ODOT overextended itself, Strickland factored in both top-tier projects and those marked lower priority or scheduled years away.

Strickland?’s incoming ODOT director, James Beasley, wrote in a transition report that the department is ''inundated with projects that cannot be funded in the foreseeable future.'' He concluded that the current system for picking and funding major projects favors urban areas over rural ones and doesn?’t factor in the economic benefits of building roads in less-developed areas.

Strickland ruled out increasing Ohio?’s fuel tax to fund more road projects. State lawmakers increased the tax 6 cents per gallon in 2003, which helped accelerate ODOT?’s building program. But Strickland said taxpayers would not stomach another tax hike so soon.

That means some highway projects will be scaled down ?— fewer lanes, for example ?— while lower-priority work will be pushed farther into the future.

''We did bite off a lot,'' said Patrick J. Ungaro, a former Youngstown mayor who serves on the advisory panel. ''If for whatever reason it doesn?’t work out, for financial reasons or otherwise, you adjust.''

A lobbyist for the American Automobile Association?’s Ohio chapter, Ric Oxender, said it?’s premature to declare the end of the state?’s road-building spurt until ODOT announces specific cuts.

''We obviously always hate to see highway improvement projects fall behind,'' Oxender said.


jnash@dispatch.com



So my question is - when are we going to build these roads for all this ''economic development'' along Rt33???

No interchange at all

Now as this development agreement languishes in front of the voters we see the entire plan coming apart in front of our eyes. We have Canal winning the annexation of 127 acres into the PLSD, the former hired development director buying up the only piece of prime development acreage between here and US 33 and now the key piece to the puzzle is an interchange anywhere between Diley Road and Carroll Northern. At one time, I thought we might get a Pickerington Road interchange. I would suggest that we all look at the comments in the paper today about the schools now being allowed to NOT HIRE the lowest bidder to school projects. If you folks think the 30% inflationary increases in the road construction projects for the state are gong to put us in debt get ready for the unions to demand the very same thing they did for the school construction, for the road construction projects. In any event we won?’t have state funds for road construction until at least 2014. I am also sure that suburban REPUBLICAN areas of the state will get the priorities over the next 7 or 8 years. That money will head straight for the inter-cities of Ohio.