COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio Department of Transportation's Transportation Review Advisory Council approved Thursday $17.5 million in additional funding for the Interstate 70/Interstate 71 split redesign. The money will be used to pay for detailed engineering plans to determine a final construction cost estimate.
The decision to proceed with final engineering work does not include work west of the Scioto River where state Route 315 meets I-70. That portion of the project has been pushed off to the future, without a
commitment from ODOT to fund construction.
In addition, the engineering work authorized Thursday places an emphasis on the area surrounding I-71, between Interstate 670 and I-70. But the plans do not emphasize the mile-long stretch of I-70 between the Scioto River and South Grant Avenue, including Front, High, Third and Fourth streets connecting Downtown Columbus and German Village.
ODOT representatives were careful in their wording not to say that portion of the project had been scrapped. But the emphasis on the other portions of the project indicate where the $512.7 million in funding will be prioritized if final cost estimates exceed earlier projections.
To date, ODOT has committed to spend $512.7 million on the project, including today's decision to allocate an additional $17.5 million. The total cost of the I-70/I-71 split project, including the S.R. 315 interchange was thought to be in the neighborhood of $1.6 billion.
The stretch of roughly five miles of roadway bordering downtown Columbus averages more than two accidents a day, and approximately 800 accidents a year. ODOT says the roadway was built to handle 120,000 vehicles each day, but is handling as many as 175,000 vehicles a day.
Also on Thursday, TRAC agreed to spend $7 million on environmental planning work for the possibility of four high-speed rail routes in Ohio, capable of operating at speeds of 110 mph. The routes including the 3C Corridor, connecting Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus and Cleveland. Other routes that will be studied connect Toledo to Columbus, as well as Ohio's portion of routes connecting Chicago to Cleveland, and Pittsburgh to Cleveland.
The high-speed rail service differs from ODOT's plans to apply for $400 million in federal stimulus funding for the 3C Corridor. That rail service would operate at 79 mph and could be running as early as 2011, if ODOT receives federal funding. The money would be used to upgrade freight tracks and build train stations. ODOT plans to submit a federal funding application on October 2. ODOT notes that more than 60 percent of Ohioans live within 15 minutes of the planned 3C Corridor train route.
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