AASHTO Journal - Ohio DOT Grants Aim to Boost Workforce Mobility

The Ohio Department of Transportation recently issued grants of more than $17.5 million in grants to public transportation providers in rural and urban areas of the state to help improve workforce mobility.

[Above photo by Ohio DOT]

The agency awarded grants to transit agencies in 16 counties through its Ohio Workforce Mobility Partnership Program or OWMP; supporting 33 transit projects that increase the ease and efficiency of transporting residents to economically significant employment centers or places of employment outside of their home communities.

Gov. Mike DeWine. Photo by the Ohio DOT.

“Transportation should never be a barrier to opportunity,” said Governor Mike DeWine (R) in a statement. “With these grants, we’re ensuring that Ohioans can easily travel to and from work without having to choose between a good paying job or the relocation of their family.”

Ohio DOT noted it established the OWMP – which is administered by its Office of Transit – with support from the Ohio General Assembly to provide funding for public transportation infrastructure, equipment, technology, vehicles, and planning projects.

[Editor’s note: In October the agency issued $23.1 million in state funding to 26 urban transit agencies across Ohio as part of its Urban Transit Program.]

“Public transit serves an important role by providing mobility options for our workforce,” said Pamela Boratyn, Ohio DOT’s director. “This funding ensures that transit agencies are better able to connect Ohio’s workers to their jobs and to employment opportunities across the state.”

The agency said projects funded by this round of OWMP grants include:

The Central Ohio Transit Authority or COTA will receive more than $1 million for an entry drive, canopy, and technology that displays real-time bus arrival information at a transit hub at Rickenbacker International Airport. This hub connects COTA and the Groveport Rickenbacker Employee Access Transit or “GREAT” to transit agencies in Fairfield, Fayette, Madison, and Pickaway counties.
The Butler County Regional Transit Authority will receive $2.5 million to expand its bus yard, construct a propane fuel station, and offer additional training for drivers. These upgrades will support the CincyLink Commuter route that connects residents of Butler and Warren counties with places of employment in Hamilton County.
Morgan County Transit will receive $117,004 to support the Morgan-Noble County Workforce Connectivity project; funding that will help the agency acquire two new vehicles to expand services between the two counties.