Despite an Ohio Department of Transportation report against expanding U.S. Route 30 between Canton and Pennsylvania, Stark County officials continue to argue the project is essential to securing economic development, specifically in the energy sector.
U.S. Route 30 stretches across most of Ohio and had been gradually rebuilt over decades - except for the stretch between Canton and State Route 11. Despite pushes from local leaders, no state or federal funding has come through to finance the project.
Stark County Commissioner Richard Regula has been advocating the last 35 miles of Route 30 between Canton and State Route 11 be expanded as a four-lane highway. The two lane road runs from Canton through Carroll and Columbiana counties.
“The reason it really got back on the table is safety, environmental cleanup and economic development," he said.
However, ODOT's Strategic Transportation and Development Analysis report released in February did not recommend finishing the expansion project, considering low congestion and high costs.
"No corridor segments are experiencing congestion currently," a press release from ODOT on the report states, "and traffic volumes are generally well below roadway capacity."
Instead, the report recommends addressing specific safety issues in Stark and Columbiana counties. ODOT will continue to monitor U.S. 30 for any emerging issues, the report states.
That’s not stopping Regula, who believes the expansion could bring major economic growth to Northeast Ohio, he said.
“We’ve got these private investors that want to build a data center on the corridor," he said.
If the expansion is completed, investment in the energy sector will be drawn to the area, due to its proximity to Shells' petrochemical complex in western Pennsylvania and the Ohio River port in Columbiana County, Regula said.
Regula has been meeting with private investors and state officials and is taking a trip to Washington D.C. this week to speak with Sen. Bernie Moreno and the U.S. Department of Transportation about the project, he said.
"We know that this has got to be a public-private partnership," he said, "and we have a group of investors that we met with down in Columbus."
The report does not mean that the project won’t happen, ODOT Press Secretary Matt Bruning said in a statement. Nothing is set in stone, and the Transportation Review and Advisory Council ultimately sets priorities for major new capacity projects, he said.
