On November 6, the Transportation Review Advisory Council (TRAC) announced the final list of Major New Construction projects for 2020-2023. Having been temporarily suspended last year, TRAC is back, pushing out $1.1 billion in funding for engineering, design, and new construction projects over the next four years. TRAC funding is available for projects of any transportation mode, and in the past TRAC has funded projects for freight rail and public transportation; however, the 2020-2023 Major New Construction Programs list is dominated by highway and interstate projects.

The Transportation Review Advisory Council (TRAC) is a nine-member appointed council established in 1997 to assist the Ohio Department of Transportation in developing and modifying a project selection process which approves funding for the development and construction of major new capacity projects (total project cost must be more than $12 million).

TRAC is chaired by the ODOT Director. Six members are appointed by the governor, and one each by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Ohio Senate. Members serve 5-year, overlapping terms.

Projects

The Major New Construction Program List announces annual funding commitments for preliminary engineering (PE), detailed design (DD), right-of-way (RW), and project construction (CO). Projects receiving funding commitments are placed into three “tiers” based on the level of project development.

• Projects placed into TRAC Tier I are recommended for construction during the upcoming four-year construction period

• Projects placed into TRAC Tier II are recommended for additional environmental, design, or right-of-way development activities before the projects would be available for construction.

• Projects listed in Tier III have had previous phases funded for construction in Tier I. Tier III accommodates projects in long range funding plans to advance multiple-phase projects.

Projects typically eligible for TRAC funding are those that aim to improve capacity/reduce congestion by: adding an additional lane on state highway or interstate; adding an additional lane on bridges; new interchanges; new facilities that bypass a congested state highway or interstate; new rail lines for public transportation; capital costs for ITS facilities; or intermodal port and rail projects.

Projects ineligible for TRAC funding are those that aim for minor capacity improvements or projects with a scope of work closely related to preservation and maintenance. These include: widening lane widths; purchase of buses or rolling stock; turn lane improvements; road resurfacing; local road or bridge improvements; or projects with a total cost under $12 million.

Final 2020 - 2023 Major New Construction Program List

TRAC funding was suspended in 2018 due to the exhaustion of funds for major new construction directly related to the state transportation funding shortfall. Funding commitments from previous application years were put on hold and TRAC did not publish a final Major New Construction Program List for FY 2019-2022. In Spring 2019, Gov. DeWine and state lawmakers agreed to raise the state’s gas tax by 10.5 cents per gallon, and raise the diesel tax by 19 cents per gallon. The increase in revenue for the state DOT (est. $550 million per year) reinstated the TRAC process.

TRAC will earmark $1.107 billion over the next four years for major new construction projects. TRAC is committing $932.7 million to Tier I projects through FY2023, including $265 million towards new construction funding in FY2020 alone.

In Final 2020-2023 Major New Construction Program List, TRAC published 42 total funding commitments in Tiers I - III. The majority of FY2020-2023 funding commitments have been carried over from the previous Major New Construction Program List, but the new revenue made available through the state gas tax increase has fast-tracked the timelines and/or produced additional funding for previous commitments.

Despite the big price stickers associated with TRAC funding commitments, a majority of ODOT funding goes towards maintaining its existing network, including 43,000 lane miles and 14,000 bridges. GOPC has long been a proponent of a ‘fix-it-first’ approach to roadway maintenance, along with advocating for the use of state funding for projects that support a variety of transportation modes. GOPC is encouraged by thoughtful spending for expansion projects, and would push for TRAC to support more transformational projects for all Ohioans, regardless of mode.

View the full 2020-2023 Major New Construction Program list on the TRAC webpage here.