Skip to main content

ODoT targets transportation funding solutions and alternatives

Jerry Wray, Ohio Department of Transportation (ODoT) director, has officially announced the Division of Innovative Delivery, a move he says is critical to identifying innovative and alternative funding solutions and advancing the agency’s goal developing long-term, sustainable solutions to fund future transportation construction projects. By reducing agency costs, commercialising non-interstate rest areas and seeking sponsorship and naming rights for certain infrastructure projects, the Ohio Department of T
March 22, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
RSSJerry Wray, Ohio Department of Transportation (ODoT) director, has officially announced the Division of Innovative Delivery, a move he says is critical to identifying innovative and alternative funding solutions and advancing the agency’s goal developing long-term, sustainable solutions to fund future transportation construction projects.

By reducing agency costs, commercialising non-interstate rest areas and seeking sponsorship and naming rights for certain infrastructure projects, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODoT) could save nearly US$200 million annually and billions more could be generated or saved by leveraging state-owned assets and exploring public, private partnerships.

“ODoT shares the desire of many communities to get local transportation projects finished more timely, but our current funding situation simply will not allow it,” said Wray. “All of our projects are high priority. They all involve some component of economic development, congestion relief and safety. That is why it is crucial to come together as policy leaders and seek out innovative and alternative funding solutions in the days, months and years to come.”

ODoT recently hired Jim Riley to lead the department’s Division of Innovative Delivery. He has more than 23 years of private sector experience, where he worked to develop innovative and sustainable funding solutions for major transportation projects in Ohio, Virginia, Texas, Illinois, and Georgia.

A complete review of all transportation projects is currently underway to identify those that could be potential candidates for public/private partnerships (P3’s), as well as additional sources of revenue to aid in the funding of major transportation projects throughout the state. Details of the review are expected later this year.

Related Content

  • Include ITS in policy decisions from the start, not as an afterthought
    February 1, 2012
    DG TREN's Fotis Karamitsos, on why the European Commission's new ITS Action Plan is looking to the past for future direction. The European Commission's (EC's) new Action Plan for the Deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems in Europe, which was announced as 2008 drew to a close, intends that transport and travel become 'cleaner; more efficient, including energy efficient; and safer and more secure'. At first sight, that wording might be interpreted as marking a significant policy shift within Europe, wit
  • Another section of West Coast Green Highway EV charging infrastructure announced
    April 19, 2012
    The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has selected AeroVironment to manufacture, supply, install and operate a network of nine fast-charging stations for electric vehicles on Interstate 5 and US 2. Stations will be located every 40 to 60 miles along stretches of I-5 between the Canadian border and Everett and between Olympia and the Oregon border, as well as along US 2 between Everett and Leavenworth.
  • Commuting habits come under scrutiny
    March 28, 2017
    Cities have a moral responsibility to encourage the smart use of transportation and Andrew Bardin Williams hears a few suggestions. Given the choice of getting a root canal, doing household chores, filing taxes, eating anchovies or commuting to work, nearly two-thirds of Americans said that they wouldn’t mind commuting into work—at least according to a poll conducted by Xerox (now Conduent) over its social media channels at the end of 2016.
  • Construction begins on $1 billion I-95 Express Lanes in Northern Virginia
    August 8, 2012
    Surrounded by elected officials, transportation engineers, and dignitaries, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell held a groundbreaking ceremony yesterday to begin construction of the I-95 Express Lanes in Northern Virginia. The project will build 29 miles (46.7kms) of express lanes on I-95 from Garrisonville Road in Stafford County to Edsall Road in Fairfax County, and will connect the I-95 Express Lanes to the I-495 Express Lanes currently under construction to provide a seamless network of new lanes to reduce