COLUMBUS Taft proposes $5 billion road rebuilding plan

Some Valley projects are listed in the 10-year plan.
STAFF/WIRE REPORTS
COLUMBUS -- Gov. Bob Taft announced a $5 billion plan to rebuild portions of Ohio's road system. The 10-year plan could create 4,000 construction jobs but depends on key federal funding that has yet to be approved.
The plan, unveiled Tuesday, would focus on improving congested and dangerous roads, improving bridges and completing rural routes.
Mahoning Valley projects listed in the plan include proposals to widen U.S. Route 224 in Boardman and to widen Market Street between Route 224 and U.S. Route 62, as well as to improve interchanges with Interstate 80.
"We must rebuild our stressed and outdated highway network to ensure that Ohio remains the transportation hub of the nation," Taft said.
Half the plan, or $250 million a year, would be paid for with money raised through the three-year, 6 cent increase in state gas tax that lawmakers approved in March.
Federal gas tax
The other half would come from the federal government through an increase in the federal gas tax and changes in how ethanol and transportation taxes are distributed.
Taft is asking for a one-cent increase in the federal gas tax. That could generate $60 million each year for Ohio.
A spokeswoman for U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, an Ohio Republican, said Congress has not discussed a federal gas tax increase. She noted, however, that an energy bill before Congress is set to include the changes in the distribution of the ethanol tax.
The changes in the distribution of transportation taxes could be included in a federal transportation bill this fall, the spokeswoman said.
Although the federal money is not guaranteed, Taft said he believes the legislation in Congress has strong support and a good chance of passing.
Improvement goals
The plan targets road improvements from the minor to the major. Three dangerous portions of interstate would get special attention: Interstate 75 in Toledo, a 17-mile stretch of I-75 in Cincinnati, and the overlap of Interstate 70 and Interstate 71 in Columbus, which averages 274 accidents per year per mile -- the most of any road in Ohio.
The plan also would double the $30 million the state spends annually on fixing dangerous roads.
Ohio has the country's 10th-largest highway network and the fifth-highest traffic volume despite being 35th in geographical size.
Overall traffic increased 80 percent on Ohio roads between 1975 and 2002, and truck traffic was up 90 percent.
Truck and car traffic are both predicted to increase further over the next 20 years, said Gordon Proctor, director of the Ohio Department of Transportation.