Source: United States Senator for Ohio Sherrod Brown
COLUMBUS, OH – Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) was joined by local community leaders overlooking the junction of I-70 and I-71 to discuss how the bipartisan infrastructure bill and his Bridge Investment Act will improve safety and increase economic opportunities in Columbus. More than 3,200 bridges across Ohio are in need of repairs and according to a report from the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, more than 1,300 of those are classified as structurally deficient.
“Bridges and roads across Ohio need critical structural repairs, including the I-70, I-71 junction. It’s congested, it’s unsafe and it has 3 of the top 10 crash sites in Ohio,” said Brown. “Now, under President Biden, we will get this done with the bipartisan infrastructure bill.”
Brown was joined by Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission Exec. Director William Murdock and Dr. Deena Chisolm of Nationwide Children’s Hospital, who spoke on the economic impact of crumbling infrastructure, and how investment would spur economic development.
“Transportation matters. Interstates and highways are intended to connect people and places, but they have also historically cut off some neighborhoods from business centers and economic opportunity. They haven’t taken into account what residents, pedestrians and bicyclists need. That has certainly happened in this neighborhood. What we are here to talk about today, with Sen. Sherrod Brown and William Murdock, Executive Director of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, is addressing those historical transportation challenges,” said Dr. Chisolm.
“Delayed for over a decade, the Columbus Crossroads project, which fixes the I-70/71 split, is just one pressing example of the many transportation challenges large and small that we face in Central Ohio. We are grateful for the support of Senator Brown in ensuring an INFRA US Department of Transportation grant for the next phase of Columbus Crossroads and for his leadership to include funding to repair and replace nationally and regionally significant bridges in the bipartisan infrastructure bill. Across Central Ohio, many other projects urgently need this significant federal investment and partnership to move forward. Completing projects like these will enhance mobility, support economic growth, improve safety, and reconnect our neighborhoods,” said William Murdock.
Brown fought to include the Bridge Investment Act in the larger bipartisan infrastructure bill. The Bridge Investment Act has the potential to provide substantial funding for the Columbus Crossroads project which is a city priority to reconstruct the junction of I-70 and I-71, a congested and unsafe corridor with three of Ohio’s top 10 crash sites. While the Columbus Crossroads received a $25 million grant from the United States Department of Transportation in June, additional federal funding will likely be needed to complete the project.
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