Building on a long list of funding commitments and investments to the region, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) announced this week that $90 million has been earmarked for the area known as the Silicon Heartland – Intel’s future campus.
Most of this money – $66 million – will fund transportation projects on local roads in Delaware, Franklin and Licking counties. Roads will be rebuilt, intersections improved for safety and greater efficiency, and the roads in general inspected to make sure they can accommodate demand growth. The remaining $24 million will go toward safe intersection and corridor expansion projects.
“Our team has worked diligently to evaluate our existing system and speed up plans for growth,” ODOT Director Dr. Jack Marchbanks said. “These new projects are a direct result of local feedback, but our efforts don’t end here. We’ll continue working with our local partners to evaluate the transportation needs throughout the region.”
Work began this week to add a third lane in each direction along State Route 161, between I-270 and U.S. Route 62, as a means to support increased traffic expected along the corridor. The project was hastened after Intel announced plans to spend $20 billion to build two manufacturing facilities in Licking County.