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Delays renew turnpike debate
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Kasich
YOUNGSTOWN
The delay of big-ticket construction projects in Ohio has stoked the debate over privatizing the state turnpike.
The state needs to consider all options for infrastructure funding improvements, including public-private partnerships and privatizing the turnpike, said Rob Nichols, spokesman for Gov. John Kasich.
“There has been a lack of honesty in addressing what kind of money we have to address these projects,” Nichols said.
State Rep. Ronald V. Gerberry of Austintown, D-59th, said the governor will use news of the delay to tout privatization of the turnpike, something Gerberry says he and many residents in his district oppose.
“I really do fear that the governor will use any and every excuse, and this could be an excuse,” Gerberry said. “I am just totally opposed to leasing or selling the turnpike. I believe you don’t sell assets like that.”
Last week, the Ohio Department of Transportation said planned work on new construction projects could be postponed a decade or more because of dwindling funds. ODOT outlined its project recommendations to the Transportation Review Advisory Council, a bipartisan group that approves funding for the largest transportation projects in Ohio.
ODOT has about $100 million annually designated for new construction, but the cost of Tier 1 projects that already are under way totals $2 billion, said Steve Faulkner, ODOT spokesman. He said ODOT’s first priority is maintaining existing infrastructure such as patching roads and keeping highways clear of snow.
In 2011, TRAC received 72 applications for new transportation projects totaling nearly $10 billion, according to ODOT.
Locally, a $100.5 million project that would add a third lane to part of Interstate 80 likely will not begin until 2036, according to ODOT’s projections. The I-80 project would add a lane between Interstate 680 and state Route 193 and is considered a Tier 2 project, one that is not currently in development.
ODOT is funded by state and federal motor-fuel tax, and that revenue has diminished over the past several years, Faulkner said.
“This [project schedule] assumes that funding sticks to what the projections are of roughly $100 million annually. It doesn’t assume more money from the feds. ... We have to assume right away there’s no chance of increasing the gas tax in Ohio. We have to seek alternative and innovative funding,” Faulkner said.
Nichols said private- public partnership, when private companies enter into an agreement with ODOT for projects, and pursuing privatizing the turnpike could be the answer.
The governor was given approval to explore those options when the state budget was approved, he said.
Ohio Senate minority leader Capri Cafaro of Liberty, D-32nd, said there may be a “potential correlation” between the ODOT recommendation to TRAC and an overall push for long-term leasing of the turnpike.
“I don’t think that’s out of the realm of possibility. It’s no different than the sky-falling million-dollar budget hole,” Cafaro said.
But she said it’s important to remember that the TRAC structure has changed — it now has a third tier, and projects are scored differently — and that also could explain why some projects were pushed back so far.
“We do have to recognize certainly the dwindling revenue of the gas tax and inflationary costs of construction,” she said.
Cafaro, who voted against the governor’s budget, voiced many concerns about possibly leasing the turnpike.
“There’s potential for no control on the toll increases, oversight and maintaining the turnpike, and certainly there’s concern for the folks that work for the Ohio Turnpike. There are a lot of questions, and frankly, with each point being negotiated, it costs money,” Cafaro said.
The ODOT announcement “isn’t necessarily something that will put pressure on the legislature. The administration already has the authority to explore it, and it really is something that is predominately under the jurisdiction of ODOT and the administration,” she said.
TRAC meets next Tuesday to vote on the new transportation program list.