Youngstown Daily Legal News

Senate proposal would create bridge program in ODOT

KEITH ARNOLD
Special to the Legal News
Published: March 6, 2017

As a successful infrastructure program is set to expire per the terms of the executive order by which it was created in 2013, an eastern Ohio lawmaker has proposed making the state's bridge partnership program permanent.

Republican Sen. Frank Hoagland of Adena went before members of the Senate Transportation, Commerce and Workforce Committee recntly to champion the cause of statutorily creating the Bridge Partnership Program within the Department of Transportation as the original executive order enacted in 2013 will expire at the conclusion of the current fiscal year in just a few months.

Through the program, Hoagland said the transportation department has invested approximately $138 million in repairing and replacing nearly 204 county and city bridges statewide.

"This program has been extremely beneficial to a number of communities across the state ... which is why I am sponsoring this legislation," he told members.

Senate Bill 6 presumably would continue the work, wherein the state transportation department utilizes federal dollars to work with counties and municipalities to rehabilitate or rebuild structurally deficient bridges within the local jurisdiction.

Hoagland said the projects are funded solely by federal funds without the requirement of matching, local funds.

SB 6 proposes the following criteria in order for a particular bridge to qualify. The structure:

Must be no less than 20 feet in length;

Must be "structurally deficient" in that the bridge, while safe for use, is in need of repair;

Currently must be open and carrying vehicular traffic; and

Currently is not being funded by other sources.

The measure also requires that within 90 days, the transportation director will submit a report to the governor, Senate and the House on continued funding for the program.

"The report shall include recommendations for how the department can continue to fund the program through the end of fiscal year 2019 and beyond using the department's current and continued revenue sources," Hoagland concluded.

In 2015, Gov. Kasich vetoed a provision of the transportation budget that would have codified the Bridge Partnership Program, according to Ohio Legislative Service Commission analysis of the bill.

Additionally, Kasich vetoed language that would have required the transportation director to identify an additional $10 million to be used for the program on top of the $120 million previously announced.

"The governor asserted that earmarks unduly limit the flexibility of (the department) to prioritize key projects and that the codification of the program was unnecessary and redundant," Amanda Ferguson wrote in the commission's analysis. "Nonetheless, the governor instructed (the department) to allocate the additional $10 million to help with county and municipal bridge projects."

All provisions of the SB 6 would be repealed effective July 1, 2019.

The measure has the support of three fellow Republicans, including committee Chairman Sen. Frank LaRose of Copley and Sens. Larry Obhof and Randy Gardner, of Medina and Bowling Green, respectively.

SB 6 had not been scheduled for further hearing as of publication.

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