Kasich won’t seek to lease Ohio Turnpike
Gov. John Kasich has made it official: the state has decided not to lease the Ohio Turnpike.
Instead, the turnpike would issue bonds backed by future toll revenue and use that money to build critical transportation projects mostly in northern Ohio, he said in Toledo today.
Kasich, a Republican, will be in Austintown later today to discuss the decision.
The state will borrow money against future toll revenues that Kasich said will reduce the state’s $1.6 billion highway budget deficit and provide money to build roads and bridges.
The program also keeps tolls lower than they likely would have been under a lease program, he said. The program calls for freezing some local tolls and limiting future toll increases to less than what they have been in the past, Kasich said.
The Ohio Democratic Party criticized the plan saying that Kasich’s proposal threatens jobs and communities along the turnpike for partisan political gain.
For the complete story, read Friday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com
Comments
Someone needs to tell the Ohio Democrat Party that it was NORTHERN OHIO, the area Kasich is targeting for major transportation projects, that reelected President Obama to a 2nd term.
The region Kasich is targeting is certainly not the Republican part of the state, it is the Democrat part of the state. The Ohio Democrat Party should be thankful our Governor, who is doing a tremendous job cleaning up the left mess by Taft and Strickland, is looking to benefit these blue counties of Ohio.
Well said
valleyred.
The Democratic party has to explain their thinking on this one. How does this threaten jobs and communities along the turnpike? He said it will build critical transportation projects mostly in northern Ohio. Hasn't Obama been after funding to have a transportation bill for roads and bridges? Kind of sounds the same to me. Keep tolls about the same yet improve roads and bridges. Sounds like a plan.
And if he decided to lease it they would of complained roo
"The Ohio Democratic Party criticized the plan"
Shocker!
The ODP will continue to whine no matter what Kasich says/does. They're just mad there is actually a governor who seeks to do the things he said he would.
It would be best to eliminate all tolls, change the name to "The Ohio Expressway," and raise the gas tax to cover the costs. Add more simpler, lower-cost exits at favorable locations, and encourage private-sector development. The great increase in traffic would spur more corporations to make further investments. Freeway exits always outperform toll road exits in development. The turnpike corridor isn't being used at nearly its potential, and most of that's due to it being a toll road. Exit infrastructure costs are also increased in most cases due to the fare controls.
Maybe you missed this in Civics class, valleyred, but Governor Kasich apparently didn't. The Governor serves ALL the people of Ohio, not just folks/areas who support the nominee he endorses in a national presidential election.
Governor Kasich has done an outstanding job in our state. He is looking into the future for all the citizens of Ohio. He is not sitting around just collecting a paycheck he is involved in getting things done...
A good question to ask the Governor, while he is in town to talk about the turnpike, is why the Eastgate Service Plaza rebuild project is taking so long. I have heard that the General Contractor went bankrupt or was "fired" from the project, etc. etc. What is going on, and why hasn't the State stepped in to expedite the completion of this project? There are dozens of jobs on hold because of the delays. A lot of people lost their jobs when the Service Plazas were closed.
Do not like Gov. KKK but he did a good job on this .
So maybe all the right wing hate whackadoos will shut up . Most us are sick of it .