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

  • Fast and efficient barrier-free electronic toll collection
    May 21, 2012
    Canada’s 407 tolled highway allows non-stop travel and a fast and efficient way of paying for it. Ontario’s 407 ETR highway features one of the most advanced barrier-free and all- electronic toll collection systems in the world. The company that operates the road launched the latest phase of its strategy to provide end-to-end automation in summer 2011. A self-service website is now available, allowing users to view and pay charges online using technology supplied by the international market leaders in e-bil
  • China aims to boost road safety with drink driving crackdown
    April 25, 2012
    The authorities in China claim that tough new laws against drink driving are already having a major benefit for road safety, according to the official news agency Xinhua. The latest official statistics reveal a sharp drop in road accidents caused by drink driving over a recent long holiday weekend. The newly amended law imposes harsher punishments on drunk drivers, with police also taking a tough line on enforcement.
  • Mature solutions for emerging economies
    June 8, 2015
    Siemens’ Marcus Welz talks to David Crawford about suitable ITS solutions for emerging economies. Be bold in vision - and output - and user-oriented in practice,” Marcus Welz advises emerging economies planning ITS investments. Says the Siemens Group senior vice president and global sales director for ITS: “Their road users need better, more reliable and safer trips – but without costs increasing too much. The good news is that many countries are already tackling the big issues of traffic and the environmen
  • Senior Iteris appointment
    July 13, 2012
    Tom Blair, an experienced software industry leader, has joined Iteris and assumed the new position of senior vice president of Iteris’s recently established iPerform group. The group was established in 2011 to focus on the development and deployment of software-based performance measurement and information management solutions. It was expanded with the acquisition of Berkeley Transportation Systems in October 2011, and has since made several key management appointments.