AASHTO Journal - Ohio Issues Nearly $41M for 27 Traffic Safety Projects

Some $40.9 million in funding has been allocated for 27 new traffic safety projects located in 21 countries across Ohio; projects focused on protecting pedestrians and preventing roadway departures.

[Above photo by the Ohio Governor’s Office]

“Whether you walk, bike, ride, or drive, we owe it to everyone to make transportation in our state as safe and efficient as possible,” said Governor Mike DeWine (R) is a statement. “These projects are engineered to keep everyone safe.”

Funding for these projects comes from the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Highway Safety Improvement Program, with those funds covering all project phases in state fiscal years 2025 through 2030. The bulk of the funding will go to local government entities like municipalities, townships, and county engineers, the agency noted.

According to Ohio DOT, roadway departures are the top factor in fatal crashes statewide; accounting for more than half of all traffic deaths in Ohio each year. In 2023, 615 people lost their lives in roadway departure crashes in Ohio, the agency noted, with pedestrian-involved crashes resuliting in 150 deaths last year.

“Our mission is to provide a transportation system that is safe, accessible, well maintained, and positioned for the future – and safety shouldn’t be limited only to certain road types or locations,” said Jack Marchbanks, Ohio DOT’s director.

To that end, those 27 traffic safety projects that aim to prevent pedestrian fatalities include upgrading or installing pedestrian hybrid beacons at mid-block crosswalks, raised enhanced crosswalks, new sidewalks or multi-use paths, curb bump outs, buffered bike lanes, and traffic calming measures.

Meanwhile, to combat roadway departure crashes, the Ohio DOT said those safety projects will include widening roadway shoulders, moving ditches and clearing trees and other obstacles further from the road.

This is the latest round of safety-focused infrastructure investments in Ohio.

In December 2023, the governor and Ohio DOT unveiled $73.8 million worth of investment into more than two dozen traffic safety projects statewide aimed at reducing the risk of crashes on Ohio’s roads.

That funding covered various phases of project development, right of way, and construction of 25 projects in 19 counties statewide between state fiscal years 2024 and 2029.

Many of the projects that received funding last year focus on improving the safety of intersections, including 16 projects that will install crash-reducing roundabouts, Ohio DOT said.

That same month, the Ohio DOT joined an automotive research project with national implications; researching how car technology can detect and report roadway issues directly to the agencies in charge of fixing them.

That two-year project – which involves the University of Cincinnati, Honda Motor Co., engineering firm Parsons Corp., and consulting firm i-Probe, along with Ohio DOT – will also help prepare roads for self-driving cars by identifying improvements such as where pavement markings are needed or refining intersection information on digital maps.