SPRINGFIELD — Four years and $50 million later, a major reconstruction project on I-70 in Clark County is complete.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine along with the director of the Ohio Department of Transportation, Jack Marchbanks, and others held a ribbon-cutting Tuesday morning to officially open the reconstruction of Interstate 70 in Clark County.
The project included adding a third lane in both direction between Route 68 and Route 72.
Gov. DeWine said, “Ohio is a state that makes and moves things. As our economy continues to grow, this additional capacity will help us meet the demands of today and the future,” He continued by saying, “At the same time, we’re making this stretch of interstate safer by reducing the pinch points that can often lead to congestion and crashes.”
The major reconstruction project also included the replacement of existing payment and seven bridges. Also included in the project was noise walls, improved drainage, and cable barriers in the median.
Nearly 70,000 vehicles travel that stretch of the interstate daily. Traffic in that area is expected to increase 40 percent by 2033.
“The last few years have taught us a lot about the importance of an unhindered supply chain. As truck traffic continues to increase in Ohio, we have to make sure goods and workers can get to their final destination safely and on time. This project ensures that Ohio isn’t the chokepoint in the national supply chain,” said ODOT Director Jack Marchbanks.
Ohio is within a day’s drive of 60 percent of the U.S./Canadian population. With that said, freight infrastructure had made Ohio the trade hub of the Midwest and the anchor for global and domestic supply chains.
Last year, trucks drove more than 14.2 million miles on roads in Ohio, including 2.5 on I-70.
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