Ohio investing nearly $2 billion in construction projects this year

Gov. Mike DeWine announced the launch of the Ohio Department of Transportation’s 2022 construction season on Monday.

Ohio is investing nearly $2 billion on 829 projects across the state this year. Crews will improve 661 bridges and 7,626 miles of pavement, according to a release.

DeWine said a “solid transportation system is key” for Ohio.

>> Convicted felon arrested after shooting reported in Catalpa Drive apartment

“Our investments have made Ohio an attractive place to do business, and ongoing improvements to our roads are essential for continued economic development and safety of our travelers,” DeWine said in a release.

Nearly $6 billion has been invested into more than 2,800 projects since the beginning of the DeWine Administration. More than $450 million has been spent of safety projects, such as Safe Routes to Schools and nearly 400 pedestrian safety projects in Ohio’s 8 largest cities.

“We’re constantly looking for ways to better engineer our roads to ensure they’re as safe as possible for those who use them each day,” Jack Marchbanks, ODOT Director, said.

Work zone safety will be another major focus, according to a release from ODOT. Data showed that there were 4,796 crashes in Ohio work zones, 35 percent of them occurred with workers present. 30 people were killed in 26 of those crashes. ODOT said their workers, vehicles and equipment were hit 154 times last year.

>> New report reveals millions of bags of luggage mishandled each year

“The men and women working on these construction projects are doing dangerous work. Motorists can make it less dangerous by paying extra attention, moving over, and slowing down when they see our crews,” Marchbanks said.

ODOT said that 6,015 speeding citations were issued by the Ohio State Highway Patrol in work zones last year. 41 percent of them being more than 20 mph over the posted speed limit.

More information on construction across the state can be found here.

©2022 Cox Media Group