Government Spotlight | July 18, 2023

$90M for Central Ohio Transportation Improvements

The “Silicon Heartland” will receive $90 million for transportation infrastructure improvements. The bulk of the investment, $66 million, will fund projects on local roads in Delaware, Franklin and Licking counties. Of the $66 million, $20 million that was included in budget law HB33 (Edwards), will be used for reconstructing roadways, improving the safety and efficiency of intersections, and making sure the local roadway network has the capacity to meet the demands of the rapidly growing area. The remaining $24 million will be used by ODOT to advance projects that create safer intersections and expand key corridors in Central Ohio as it prepares for the new Intel plant.

Governor DeWine has also directed ODOT to accelerate a $75 million project to add a third lane in each direction to State Route 161 between Interstate 270 and U.S. Route 62 to support the expected increase in traffic.

Special Election on Aug. 8 

Early voting for the Aug. 8 special election for all voters has begun and voters statewide are being asked to weigh in on Issue 1—which would raise the passage threshold of constitutional amendments to 60 percent in the future. According to the secretary of state’s office, there are currently 7,947,090 registered voters in Ohio. Early, in-person voting hours at local county boards of elections will be as follows:

• Tuesday, July 11-Friday, July 14, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Monday, July 17-Friday, July 21, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Monday, July 24-Friday, July 28, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Monday, July 31- Friday, Aug. 4, 7:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, Aug. 5, 8 a.m.- 4 p.m.
• Sunday, Aug. 6, 1-5 p.m.

Polls will be open on Election Day, Aug. 8 from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Dez Bryant
Vice President of Government Relations
dezbryant@columbus.org