U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation John Porcari last week toured the widening and modernizing of Interstate 75 in Dayton, Ohio, which is expected to attract business opportunities, improve access to employment and support economic growth. The $550 million project, built with the help of $452 million in federal aid from the Federal Highway Administration, will increase capacity on 3.7 miles of interstate from south of U.S. 35 to north of State Route 4 by adding a third lane in each direction.
While the region has suffered manufacturing job losses over the last decade, businesses in other sectors, such as information technology and healthcare, have relocated along the I-75 corridor from Dayton to Cincinnati, and as a result, the 3.7-mile stretch had become a major bottleneck for traffic. That section of highway currently carries more than 127,000 vehicles per day, a figure that is expected to grow to more than 148,000 vehicles by 2025.
The I-75 reconstruction project is scheduled for completion in late 2015. “The I-75 modernization means good jobs right here in Dayton,” says Porcari. “Our federal investment is creating construction jobs now while improving the daily commute of thousands and giving businesses a good reason to locate here.”
