Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine recently signed House Bill 54 into law, which budgets $11 billion over two years for transportation, starting on July 1, allowing the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and local governments to pursue programs at their current funding levels.
“Transportation is vital to our state’s economy,” DeWine said. “It connects Ohioans to jobs, education, healthcare, and entertainment. This budget reaffirms our commitment to providing our great state with a transportation system that is safe, reliable, and prepared for the future.”
More than 90 percent of ODOT’s funding will be spent on improvement, maintenance, and preservation of existing bridges, culverts, roads, signals, signs, and lights as well as snow removal and ice operations.
ODOT’s Highway Safety Improvement Program received an increase from $185 million to $191 million in fiscal years 2026 and 2027. The program is the largest per capita in the United States.
A total of $150 million was allocated for the study and construction of truck parking lots on state-owned land. More than 460 truck crashes from 2015 to 2019 were caused by fatigued driving, resulting in six deaths and multiple injuries, and five people were killed in crashes involving trucks illegally parked on the shoulder of the road.