The brightly colored lines littered the road maps. Red for ongoing projects. Blue for projects to be bid
this year. Green for future projects.
But those lines mean little if the funding isn’t there.
And the funding rests on how much gas motorists buy in Ohio.
"Our funding comes from gas tax," explained Imad Bdeiri, program engineer with the Ohio
Department of Transportation District 2 Office in Bowling Green. "The more people buy gas. The more
we can do."
So while the ongoing ODOT road and bridge projects are not in question – the rest are vulnerable.
"The funding plays a major role" in what gets done and what gets scrapped, Bdeiri said, noting
that gas tax revenues pay for 95 percent of the projects completed by ODOT.
Bdeiri and other ODOT officials hosted an open house Wednesday to show proposed road and bridge projects
for the region. Citizens were invited to voice their opinions on the projects to ODOT and the Toledo
Metropolitan Area Council of Governments, which is responsible for transportation planning in Wood and
Lucas counties.
The plans on display Wednesday numbered nearly 200, with a total construction cost of more than $580
million.
But with rising gas prices, and motorists not being able to afford as many gallons, it may mean less
revenue for ODOT.
"That will have an impact on how much we can do," Bdeiri said.
Some of the road pavement projects tentatively set to be bid out for Wood County this year are:
¥ Ohio 281 from Ohio 235 to the western county line.
¥ Ohio 18 from Route 235 almost to North Baltimore.
¥ Route 281 from Interstate 75 to Huffman Road.
¥ Route 281 from Ohio 199 to U.S. 6.
¥ I-75 from Route 199 to the Maumee River.
¥ Ohio 795 from I-75 to Drouillard Road.
¥ Route 795 in Millbury.
Bridge projects to go out for bid this year are:
¥ At I-75 near Cygnet.
¥ On Ohio 65 east of Grand Rapids.
¥ On Route 199 over I-75.
¥ On Ohio 105 between Bowling Green and Scotch Ridge.
Projects further into the future came with little stars, symbolizing that "these projects may change
frequently."