On Monday, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) announced the launch of its 2022 construction season and its goal to invest nearly $2 billion in 829 projects statewide this year.
Projects include 7,626 miles of pavement and the improvement of 661 bridges. Of the 829 projects, 222 projects will improve road safety.
“Safety has been the top priority since the first day of the DeWine Administration,” Jack Marchbanks, ODOT director, said. “We’re constantly looking for ways to better engineer our roads to ensure they’re as safe as possible for those who use them each day. However, drivers have an important role to play too. We need every motorist to buckle up, obey the speed limit, drive sober, and drop the distractions.”
The Ohio State Highway Patrol issued 6,015 citations in work zones in 2021, with 41 percent of the tickets being issued for driving 20 miles per hour or more over the posted speed limit. In 2021, ODOT workers, vehicles, and equipment were hit 154 times in work zones. There were 4,796 crashes, and 30 people were killed.
Since Gov. Mike DeWine took office in 2019, ODOT has invested nearly $6 billion into more than 2,800 projects.
For every dollar spent this year, 95 cents goes toward preserving existing infrastructure.