“It’s good news and bad news at the same time,” DeWine said. “We know that drivers see ODOT’s orange barrels and cones as an inconvenience, but they are also a signal of progress and improvement.
“This year’s transportation projects will continue to ensure that our infrastructure keeps pace, improving the quality of life for those who live, work and visit Ohio,” he said.
Construction highlights include 38 major projects each costing more than $10 million; 5,538 miles of pavement work; 314 projects to repair and upgrade 844 bridges; and 171 large-scale projects specifically focused on reducing crashes and saving lives, DeWine said.
Of the more than $3.2 billion in ODOT projects, $127 million will be invested in 61 projects across the nine-county District 7 that includes Montgomery County, said Bud O’Brien, District 7 deputy director.
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
Interstate 75 reconstruction north of downtown Dayton, from Needmore to Leo roads, is in its third phase with the southbound lanes expected to be completed this year before work moves to the northbound lanes.
“All phases are expected to be complete for that project in summer 2027,” he said.
In that area, the Stop 8 Bridge has been closed since a driver struck it last year. The bridge is slated to be reopened for this fall.
In the southern portion of the Miami Valley, a second project on I-75 is in its final phase and is expected to be completed this summer with paving and striping, O’Brien said.
ODOT Director Pamela Boratyn said Ohio is within a day’s drive of 60% of the U.S. and Canadian populations. With drivers in 2023 logging more than 110 billion miles, it’s the seventh-highest number of vehicles traveling across the county. Ohio is sixth in the nation for volume.
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
“We are not just the heart of it all, we are the heart of infrastructure,” she said.
Looking to the future, Boratyn, who grew up in Franklin, said Dayton, Columbus and Cincinnati form a triangle that is forecast to be one of the most widespread challenges and changes in the state.
Interstate 75 is crucial for Ohio, just just for a trade route but it’s needed for access to the growing communities and businesses.
DeWine said Ohio has a great advantage with its central location to the majority of the U.S. population, but that infrastructure is just as important as water, utilities and the available workforce when it comes to attracting and retaining businesses.
“The infrastructure of Ohio is one of the assets that we have. Businesses that are looking to come to Ohio, one of the things they look at is that infrastructure, how are the roads?” he said.
“If you don’t keep your infrastructure up business looks at that and they say that is not a state that is really paying attention to what its challenges are, what its problems are,” DeWine said.
Since taking office in 2019, DeWine has worked with the Ohio General Assembly to increase funding for ODOT’s Highway Safety Improvement Program from $85 million annually to $191 million in the 2026-2027 transportation budget the governor signed Monday.
Coinciding with the launch of the construction season, DeWine also announced that the Ohio State Highway Patrol will have increased enforcement in work zones again this season.
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
Work zone fatalities decreased by nearly 20% last year compared to 2023, DeWine said, after he directed the patrol to step up enforcement to raise awareness about work zone safety and to reduce crashes.
Since 2020, there have been more than 22,000 work zone crashes with more than 8,000 people hurt and more than 100 people killed, including nine road workers, according to state crash data.
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