Skip to content

Transportation budget funds U.S. 23 bypass plan

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a new two-year state transportation budget that includes $500,000 to create a plan to construct a bypass to connect Northwest Ohio with the state capital and relieve congestion on U.S. 23 north of Columbus.

De Wine signing

TMACOG and partners including the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce worked with legislators from both parties to advocate for a bypass connecting Route 23 to Interstate 71 as an alternative to the challenging plan to improve Route 23 that a state study identified as the long-term plan for the corridor.

A bypass has been a TMACOG legislative priority since 2008 because of the economic benefits of creating an efficient freight and passenger corridor linking Northwest Ohio, the only region without direct freeway access to the capital, with Central Ohio, one of the fastest growing markets in the country. With this fall’s opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, our region and our state risk failing to take advantage of a tremendous economic opportunity.

TMACOG leaders and state legislators from across our region worked together to analyze the proposed Route 23 plan, highlight its many challenges, and advocate for adoption of the much-needed bypass.

Northwest Ohio’s legislators took up the fight to propose a successful amendment to the transportation budget bill, directing the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission to create preliminary engineering options for a bypass by October 1, 2025.

Thank you to legislators from across the region who championed the amendment.

Why a Bypass?

A recent $10 million study of statewide transportation and development determined that the best way to improve safety, travel times, and reliability is a long and complex list of improvements to the Route 23 corridor.

Northwest Ohio leaders spoke out to maintain that a bypass is the best investment the state can make in keeping its transportation network ahead of the development curve.

We created the map below to illustrate the challenges that the study listed for each of the projects identified in the state's corridor action plan.

Click here to download a PDF.


The Benefits

Constructing the bypass would come with some important benefits:

  • Improved efficiency: A bypass connecting U.S. 23 to I-71 will significantly reduce traffic bottlenecks, making freight movement and commuter travel more efficient and reliable.
  • Economic growth: Creating a dedicated freight corridor will enhance the region's competitiveness. Only with a bypass can Ohio fully leverage opportunities from the new Gordie Howe International Bridge and the economic expansion of the Columbus region.
  • Safety and congestion: Creating a faster, more reliable route for truck traffic not only creates an important freight corridor – this will also relieve congestion and improve safety for drivers on Route 23 and other impacted state highways, including Routes 315 and 68.
  • Practical solution: The complex and costly improvements proposed in the Route 23 Connect Study face many challenges. A bypass is a more achievable solution that addresses the issue with one project, rather than a plan for unfunded improvements that may take 20 years and only keep pace with development.
  • Swift action: A bypass could be built more quickly and easily through a public-private partnership, or a toll road constructed by the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission and the Ohio Department of Transportation. This will allow Ohio to get ahead of growth that will continue in Delaware County.

  • Community benefits: A bypass could be paired with projects that bring additional economic benefits to nearby rural areas, including improved transportation access, revenue sharing, and enhanced utilities like broadband internet

Logo
Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments

TMACOG is a council of governments with members across the region, including cities, counties, villages, townships, schools, and special districts.

Translate