A bill in support of an Ohio Department of Transportation feasibility study on a proposed Interstate 73 corridor has been introduced.
The bill calls for a study on developing a roughly 270-mile I-73 through the state and the potential economic boost it would bring to the region.
The bill was introduced in the state House of Representatives on July 23 by Republican Rep. Dave Taylor and referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on the same day. The bill is titledH.Res.608 - Recognizing the importance of the Interstate Highway System and supporting the development of an interstate through southern Ohio.
The proposed I-73 would run south, parallel to State Highway 23, beginning in Toledo near the border with Michigan, continuing through Columbus and finishing at the Kentucky/West Virginia border.
“Workers need a reliable thoroughfare to commute to work, and our growing industries rely on a central road to transport goods. An I-73 corridor would also finally give small Appalachian businesses a chance to connect with the modern economy, reinvigorating local main streets and giving businesses the tools to succeed that are long overdue,” said Taylor.
The $1.5 million feasibility study would include a capacity analysis, access management, environmental and community impact assessments, economic impact analysis, cost-benefit analysis, and preliminary design concepts and is forecast to be completed by December 2026.
ODOT’s report does not guarantee the corridor will be built but instead “arms the state’s decision makers with data so they can execute accordingly.”
Plans and support for Ohio’s I-73 began back in 2022, when the Ohio State Legislature authorized a study on its possible development to learn how it might impact the counties through which it would run.
ODOT later called for a feasibility study on the development of the U.S. 23 from I-270 to just south of Circleville, Ohio, after releasing its own evaluation of U.S. 23 running from Toledo to Columbus and from Columbus to the Kentucky/West Virginia border.
