The road ahead
A message from the deputy directors . . .
As we look to the future, our focus is providing a transportation system that is safe, well-maintained, accessible, and positioned for the future. These four pillars will guide ODOT's future investments in northwest Ohio and statewide.
Within these pillars, recognizing the changing needs of our customers is important to ensure our transportation system is serving our communities. To this, an initiative to form a new regional transportation planning organization (RTPO) in northwest Ohio is under way. This will give communities access to funding, information, and programs to improve safety, increase mobility, and support economic development. It's another way for us to better serve our communities.
Read about this and other successes in this edition.
Chris Hughes, ODOT District 1 Pat McColley, ODOT District 2
What's in this issue:
-A new transportation advocacy group forming in northwest Ohio.
-Progress realized on Governor DeWine's 150 intersection list.
-Successes in safety -- one project already showing benefits, one moving forward.
-New statewide litter program benefitting northwest Ohio.
-Traffic safety trends improve.
A map displays the existing MPOs (metropolitan planning organization), and RTPOs (regional transportation planning organization). Northwest Ohio has the largest area not currently represented by either an MPO or an RTPO. Source: ODOT regional transportation planning website.
A map displaying the counties currently represented by a transportation planning organization shows a glaring fact -- many northwest Ohio counties are excluded.
Chris Hughes, Ohio Department of Transportation District 1 deputy director, sought to remedy that and introduced the idea of forming a regional transportation planning organization (RTPO) to serve Van Wert, Putnam, Hancock, Hardin, Wyandot, Auglaize and Mercer counties.
The new RTPO will provide local public agencies access to more funding. "Within the BIL (Bypartisan Infrastructure Legislation), an RTPO may apply for federal grants. It’s not a lot of money yet, but it’s something. If you’re not part of an RTPO, you don’t have access to that. As time goes on, you will be more and more left out if you're not part of one of these organizations," said Hughes.
The RTPO will provide local entities assistance with planning their transportation projects. "The RTPO can bring their projects to us. It will truly help rural counties identify transportation issues and get those issues solved. It will provide them an avenue they don't currently have to get things done," said Hughes.
All seven of the counties have submitted resolutions stating they plan to be part of the new agency, titled West Central Ohio Regional Planning Organization (WORPO). WORPO will be administered by the Lima-Allen County Regional Planning Commission which is currently working to secure the needed staff. The new RTPO is expected to be operating in 2023.
For more information: MPO & RTPO Websites | Ohio Department of Transportation
Progress made on Governor's 150 list of troublesome intersections
In 2019, Governor Mike DeWine directed ODOT to target safety improvements at approximately 150 intersections statewide in rural, suburban, and urban areas. This represents an investment of $425 million over several years.
The following is the status of eight intersection projects from the list in northwest Ohio that began or were scheduled for construction in 2022:
    A truck from Apollo Career Center, Lima, navigates through the restricted crossing u-turn (RCUT) at U.S. 30 and Thayer Road in Allen County. Crashes at the location have been significantly reduced since the RCUT was constructed.
One project sees early success, another progresses toward construction
RCUT at U.S. 30 and Thayer Road, Allen County, ODOT District 1
Traditional intersections are being replaced throughout northwest Ohio with modern, safer designs.
Just over a year ago, an RCUT (restricted crossing u-turn) was constructed at U.S. 30 and Thayer Road in Allen County, east of Lima. Prior to the construction, 13 crashes over a five-year period occurred. Of those, two were fatal and five resulted in serious injury. Since the opening of the RCUT, only two crashes directly related to the intersection have occurred, and none resulted in injuries.
Listen as ODOT District 1 Deputy Director Chris Hughes, explains the RCUT project and the future of innovative intersection design.
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The intersection of State Route 108 and Wabash Cannonball Trail, Wauseon, will receive a pedestrian hybrid beacon. The project is being funded through ODOT safety funds. |
Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon, Wauseon, Fulton County, ODOT District 2
In the city of Wauseon, a fatal crash involving a pedestrian prompted city officials to improve the safety of the intersection at State Route 108 and Wabash Cannonball Trail. Here, Keith Torbet, safety service director, explains how through working with ODOT, their project will become reality.
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Your project could be the next safety success story. Contact the safety coordinator in your ODOT district and start a conversation.
As of mid December, traffic deaths are down 7% - which has remained relatively consistent throughout the year. There have been 1,203 traffic deaths in Ohio compared to 1,297 this time last year. Overall, travel is down 5% this year compared to pre-pandemic levels. Truck travel is 6% higher.
When it comes to preventing pedestrian and bicycle deaths, providing dedicated infrastructure matters. A new Multimodal Design Guide is the first guide in Ohio focused specifically on how to incorporate safer bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure into transportation projects.
The guide provides a range of options like paved shoulders, bike lanes and sidewalks – both buffered and separated facilities – that ODOT staff and local communities should incorporate into projects based on the context of the location and available funds. Multimodal Design Guide | Ohio Department of Transportation
ODOT making record-level safety investments
ODOT is on target to award $180 million in new safety investments during 2022. These improvements are specifically targeted to prevent serious injuries and traffic deaths in Ohio.
- In 2022, ODOT approved 50 “quick hit” abbreviated applications worth $7 million. This simplified process was created to help Ohio communities act quickly to address safety concerns. Projects are typically $500,000 or less and range in scope from high-visibility crosswalks to rumble stripes on rural roads.
- In the spring, ODOT awarded 44 projects worth $51 million to prevent pedestrian and roadway departure crashes through our new systemic application program. Project sponsors are encouraged to proactively focus on wider shoulders, flattening slopes, removing deep ditches, and installing centerline and edge line rumble stripes – especially on high-speed rural roads. ODOT is also promoting greater use of high-visibility crossings, advanced yield markings, lighting, and pedestrian-activated signals in areas where Ohioans are walking.
- In November, Governor DeWine announced ODOT is awarding $121 million in safety projects through our formal application process. These projects are more complex to design and build, and typically cost up to $5 million. The awards include funding for 24 roundabouts in 19 counties. National research shows that converting traditional intersections to roundabouts can reduce serious injuries and deaths between 78% and 82%.
For more information regarding traffic crash trends and safety, visit the ODOT website: Crash Trends & Resources | Ohio Department of Transportation
Litter control efforts happen all year, not just in spring
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The Sponsor-A-Highway program, which launched in July, encourages businesses and groups to fund litter removal along one-mile segments of highway. |
ODOT crews and volunteer Adopt-A-Highway groups have been the staple of Ohio's highway litter pickups for many years, performing this work primarily in the spring. It would've been nice had that been enough.
"ODOT has recognized for a long time that our efforts and that of our volunteer partners have not been enough to thwart the presence of litter along our highways and interstates. Now we have support," said Pat McColley, ODOT District 2 deputy director.
In July, the Sponsor-A-Highway program launched in Ohio. The program -- of no cost to the state of Ohio -- allows segments of highways to be sponsored by businesses and groups who fund litter removal services along one mile of a highway, in one direction, for a monthly fee. The highest participation in the program is currently in northeast Ohio. The program is expected to expand throughout Ohio as recognition of the program grows.
In addition, a program focusing specifically on litter removal in Ohio's major metropolitan areas launched in September. This program provides litter pickup along highways and interstates within Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Akron/Canton, Toledo, Dayton, and Youngstown.
In Toledo alone, the metro litter program removed over 2,000 bags of litter in just one month.
"Litter isn't isolated to just highways and interstates, but that is where it's apparent and where it has the greatest negative effect on the state's image," said McColley. "Litter removal is now a year-round activity and, unfortunately, it needs to be."
Here are the numbers for all litter collection efforts statewide along Ohio's highways and interstates since 2021:
- ODOT crews - 65,200 bags (March 2021 - October 2022)
- Adopt-A-Highway - 3,209 bags (March 2021- October 2022)
- Ohio Department of Corrections - 121,590 bags (March 2021 - October 2022)
- Sponsor-A-Highway - 143 bags (June-October 2022)
- Metro program - 52,596 bags (September-October 2022)
For all things litter: Litter | Ohio Department of Transportation
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The Crossroad is a production of the Ohio Department of Transportation’s public information staff in the northwest region, encompassing ODOT District 1 and District 2. To receive this and other ODOT communications directly to your email, sign up here. We would sincerely like to know what you’d like to know, so please contact us with questions or feedback: rhonda.pees@dot.ohio.gov |
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