The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT; ) is the administrative department of the Ohio state governmentOhio Rev. Code § 121.01 et seq. responsible for developing and maintaining all state and U.S. roadways outside of municipalities and all Interstates except the Ohio Turnpike. In addition to highways, the department also helps develop public transportation and public aviation programs. ODOT is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Formerly, under the direction of Michael Massa, ODOT initiated a series of interstate-based Travel Information Centers, which were later transferred to local partners. The Director of Transportation is part of the Governor's Cabinet.
ODOT has divided the state into 12 regional districts to facilitate development. Each district is responsible for the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of the state and federal highways in its region. The department employs nearly 5,000 people and has an annual budget approaching $3 billion. It celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2005 and its 35th as the Ohio Department of Transportation in 2007.
History
Origins The "Ohio Department of Highways" began operations on February 15, 1905. The original office consisted of four employees and an annual budget of $10,000. Its mission was to study the state roads and the science of road construction. The Department of Highways created the first Ohio State Highway Patrol in an attempt to reduce the number of automobile-related fatalities in 1933. By the end of the year, the first patrolmen were on duty.
Interstate highway era On June 29, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 into law, designating highways for each state to build with federal assistance to create the modern interstate highway system. One year later, in 1957, Ohio's Department of Highways officially began construction on the of the interstate system designated for Ohio in the Federal-Aid Highway Act. After one year of interstate construction, Ohio was spending more on roadway construction than New York or California, and by 1962 had of interstates open. By the end of the decade, Ohio hit a milestone, with over completed.
In 1965 the federal government began to allow new federal funds to be spent on highway beautification projects. The Ohio Department of Highways took a leading role in this national initiative, creating a new Design Services Division to oversee rest areas and landscaping along thousands of miles of state and interstate roadways in Ohio. To consolidate multiple modes of transportation under one agency, the Ohio Department of Highways officially became the Ohio Department of Transportation in September 1972. In 1984, the department instituted its first network of tourist information centers at interstate entry points throughout Ohio. Two more milestones were reached during this period, with the full outer belt (Interstate 270) being completed around Columbus in 1975, as well as Interstate 70 traveling east to west through the heart of Ohio in 1976.
Downsizing In 1995 ODOT began efforts to become more efficient as well as be more customer-friendly. At the time, ODOT employed 7,800 employees. By 2000 the total number of employees had been reduced to 6,031, a 22.6% decrease in 5 years, and further reduced to 5,000 by 2023. This move reduced the increase in payroll expenditures to 0.78% per year. In addition, non-payroll budgets were limited to a 2% annual increase since 1995. Since the Ohio Department of Transportation is managed by separate districts, district budgets were redesigned to allow any operational efficiencies to remain within the district. This allowed each district to reinvest into their roads and bridges, provided they can spend less than their budget. A comprehensive set of measures and objectives have been adopted to oversee each district's performance.
Since downsizing, ODOT has become more efficient in most areas of operation. Between 1997 and 2004, deficiencies were reduced significantly. Bridge structural deficiencies were reduced by 74%, pavement deficiencies were reduced by 79%, and guardrail deficiencies were reduced by 70%. In addition, snow and ice removal efforts were improved.
Jobs and Progress plan On August 5, 2003, Governor Bob Taft unveiled his 10‑year, $5 billion "Jobs and Progress plan", developed to supply $500 million annually to ODOT for new construction and revitalization projects designed to ease freeway congestion, improve road safety, and connect rural Ohio. The plan is also estimated to create over 4,000 highway construction jobs. One month later, ODOT completed Interstate 670 in Columbus, marking the completion of the original interstate highway plan in Ohio.
Studies and projects Ohio's interstate highway system is approaching 50 years old, and many highways are reaching the end of their designed lives. Commercial truck traffic alone had grown 90% in the last quarter-century and is estimated to grow another 60% by 2020. This forced ODOT to create a statewide plan to address congestion issues as well as the repair of aging interstate highways. ODOT currently manages 17 major studies or projects, ranging from bridge construction to intersection redesign. Major projects generally involve creating greater allowances for traffic flow and easing congestion.
Cleveland Urban Core projects In August 2000, ODOT began the Cleveland Innerbelt Study to develop a comprehensive strategy to rebuild portions of Interstate 71, Interstate 77, and Interstate 90 into downtown Cleveland. The focus of the project is reducing inner-city congestion, replacing or repairing older sections of the freeway system, and improving the safety of the system. Of particular interest to ODOT is the safety of the Cleveland Innerbelt and Dead Man's Curve, both of which experience an accident rate higher than the national average. In addition, ODOT plans to construct a new single-tower cable-stayed bridge north of the current bridge for westbound traffic on Interstate 90 over the Cuyahoga River Valley.
Construction was originally planned for 2009, though resistance from some citizens in the community has put the entire project in question. Complaints have been raised over the plan to build the new bridge north of the current span over the Cuyahoga River, mostly due to the effect the construction would have on day-to-day life and the loss of historical buildings and landmarks. In addition, complaints have been raised about the cost of the project, which has been raised from the original $800 million to $1.5 billion. While the cost of the plan is mostly the construction of two new bridges over fifteen years, many in the community feel the rehabilitation of the existing bridges would be more cost-effective. An unofficial estimate for bridge rehabilitation puts the cost at $268 million, or $366 million for the entire innerbelt project.
Dayton area projects Interstate 75 through Downtown Dayton was upgraded and modernized over ten years. Construction included widening Interstate 75 from Neva Drive through U.S. 35 in Dayton to three through lanes as well as added lanes for exiting. Also, a new interchange at Route 4 and Interstate 75 was constructed as part of the project. As part of another phase in the project, ODOT modified the U.S. 35 interchange to provide three continuous lanes in each direction on I‑75. All of the phases of this construction will be done at an estimated cost of $533 million. Construction of the last phase was completed in 2016.
On February 26, 2009, the state of Ohio awarded a contract for $22 million to construct an interchange at Austin Boulevard and Interstate 75 in Springboro, Ohio, in southern Montgomery County. Construction on the interchange began in April 2009 and was completed in July 2010. As part of the project, ODOT reconstructed the intersection of SR 741 and Miamisburg-Springboro Pike by widening lanes and adding a two-leg Displaced Left Turn (DLT) continuous flow intersection.
Columbus Crossroads Project Another large-scale project ODOT is spearheading is the I‑70/I‑71 South Innerbelt Corridor Project, a multifaceted plan to reduce congestion in downtown Columbus along with the convergence of Interstate 70 and Interstate 71. Commonly known as "the downtown split", the region regularly experiences heavy traffic and is the site of 27% of all traffic accidents along I‑70 and I‑71 in Franklin County. To reduce traffic and accidents, as well as remove the confusion of getting on or off the freeway, the downtown split project will add lanes to the freeway in both directions, widen Mound and Fulton streets, and convert them to one-way, collector/distributor streets, and move the current on/off-ramps to facilitate better traffic flow. The project cost around $800 million and began in 2011.
Freeway caps In addition to freeway construction, ODOT, along with the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), and the city of Columbus are discussing the possibility of several freeway caps over portions of I-70 and I-71. These caps, similar to the one built on High Street over I-670, would be widened overpasses, creating a seamless transition between neighborhoods by adding businesses or parks to either side of the current overpass. While this will add considerable cost to the project, it is hoped that the freeway caps will link neighborhoods that were divided when the interstate highway system was put in. Twelve overpasses were originally looked at for freeway caps, though the list has been narrowed to six due to budget constraints. Each cap would cost anywhere between $2 million and $12 million depending on the complexity, and a total of $53 million to $62 million could be added to the project if all six are built. The Ohio Department of Transportation has pledged $10 million toward caps, $37 million for streetscape improvements in total, and the MORPC has pledged another $12 million for the caps. With the caps and other streetscape improvements added to the project, the total project cost is expected to reach $1 billion.
Veterans' Glass City Skyway
In March 2002, ODOT began the largest single project in its history. Needing a replacement for the outdated Craig Memorial Bridge in Toledo, the department initiated the Veterans' Glass City Skyway project, with an estimated price tag of $234 million. The six-lane, single-tower cable-stayed bridge design includes glass panels along with all four faces of the tower and LEDs installed within, allowing for customizable lighting effects on the bridge. The original completion date was for May 2006, but the project was struck with a sixteen-month-long delay after an accident killed four workers on February 16, 2004. This delayed the initial opening of the skyway until June 24, 2007.
Northeast Expressway Transformation The Northeast Expressway Transformation (NExT) project, which began on June 14, 2004, marked another significant undertaking by ODOT as the largest single highway project ever in central Ohio. It included rebuilding the State Route 161 interchanges at Interstate 270 and Sunbury Road, including 17 bridges, 18 ramps, and five miles (8 km) of the highway. The original intersections at I-270 and Sunbury Road were designed to handle 58,000 and 21,000 vehicles per day, respectively, but daily loads had surpassed 135,000 at I-270 and 90,000 at Sunbury Road. By 2020 loads are estimated to be approaching 200,000 vehicles per day at both interchanges. To meet and exceed current traffic needs, the project replaced three of the four cloverleaf ramps at I-270 with two flyover ramps and one "fly under" tunnel, reconfigured the Sunbury Road exit into a modified single-point urban interchange (SPUI), and add through lanes for both I-270 and SR-161. The project was completed in the fall of 2008.
Other studies/projects