The Ohio Transportation Budget (HB 26) Passed

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If you have any questions on these provisions or the bill itself, please contact Glen Shumate at CEA at [email protected].

The Ohio Transportation Budget (HB 26) passed the Ohio House, the Ohio Senate and was signed into law on March 31st by Governor Kasich.  The bill allocates approximately $7 billion over the next two years for Ohio.  It invests in 43 major projects, 446 bridge projects, 615 pavement projects and 356 safety projects over the next two years.

The Governor vetoed provisions dealing with:

Creating a Smart Transportation Action Advisory Team

Frequency of local bridge inspections (alternating of full and partial inspections)

A requirement that ODOT install interchanges on limited access highways every four miles in certain urban areas

Speed boat safety provisions (the veto takes provisions back to current law)

Some provisions of note that were contained in the legislation were:

Codification of the Ohio Bridge Partnership Program

The bill continues this program until FY 2019.  ODOT is required to work with counties and local jurisdictions to either pay the full cost of, or match local expenditures with regard to, the rehabilitation or reconstruction of selected county and municipal corporation bridges. ODOT plans to allocate $5 million per year for the program using.

Protection for employees by requiring contractors and subs to only provide the last four digits of their Social Security number when providing that info to a prevailing wage coordinator. 

Creation of a commercial vehicle registration pilot program for Clinton, Lucas, Montgomery, Franklin and Mahoning and Stark counties, to reduce fees for commercial cars with a gross vehicle weight of up to 78,000 pounds.

Exemption of Tow trucks for vehicle size and weight limits

Exempts, for two years, towing vehicles from size and weight limitations when the vehicle is: (1) engaged in the initial towing or removal of a wrecked or disabled motor vehicle from the site of an emergency on a public highway to the nearest storage facility; (2) en route to the site of an emergency on a public highway to tow or remove a wrecked or disabled motor vehicle; or (3) returning from delivering a wrecked or disabled motor vehicle to the nearest site where the vehicle can be brought into conformance with the statutory size and weight requirements, the nearest qualified repair facility, or the nearest storage facility.