Ohio Department of Transportation

The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT; /ˈoʊ.dɒt/) is the administrative department of the Ohio state government responsible for developing and maintaining all state and U.S. roadways outside of municipalities and all Interstates except the Ohio Turnpike. In addition to highways, the department also helps develop public transportation and public aviation programs. ODOT is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Formerly, under the direction of Michael Massa, ODOT initiated a series of interstate-based Travel Information Centers, which were later transferred to local partners. The Director of Transportation is part of the Governor's Cabinet.

ODOT has divided the state into 12 regional districts to facilitate development. Each district is responsible for the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of the state and federal highways in its region. The department employs nearly 5,000 people and has an annual budget approaching $3 billion. It celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2005 and its 35th as the Ohio Department of Transportation in 2007.

The "Ohio Department of Highways" began operations on February 15, 1905. The original office consisted of four employees and an annual budget of $10,000. Its mission was to study the state roads and the science of road construction. The Department of Highways created the first Ohio State Highway Patrol in an attempt to reduce the number of automobile-related fatalities in 1933. By the end of the year, the first patrolmen were on duty.

On June 29, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 into law, designating highways for each state to build with federal assistance to create the modern interstate highway system. One year later, in 1957, Ohio's Department of Highways officially began construction on the 1,500 miles (2,400 km) of the interstate system designated for Ohio in the Federal-Aid Highway Act. After one year of interstate construction, Ohio was spending more on roadway construction than New York or California, and by 1962 had 684 miles (1,101 km) of interstates open. By the end of the decade, Ohio hit a milestone, with over 1,000 miles (1,600 km) completed.

In 1965 the federal government began to allow new federal funds to be spent on highway beautification projects. The Ohio Department of Highways took a leading role in this national initiative, creating a new Design Services Division to oversee rest areas and landscaping along thousands of miles of state and interstate roadways in Ohio. To consolidate multiple modes of transportation under one agency, the Ohio Department of Highways officially became the Ohio Department of Transportation in September 1972. In 1984, the Department instituted its first network of tourist information centers at interstate entry points throughout Ohio. Two more milestones were reached during this period, with the full outer belt (Interstate 270) being completed around Columbus in 1975, as well as Interstate 70 traveling east to west through the heart of Ohio in 1976.

In 1995 ODOT began efforts to become more efficient as well as be more customer-friendly. At the time, ODOT employed 7,800 employees. By 2000 the total number of employees had been reduced to 6,031, a 22.6% decrease in 5 years, and further reduced to 5,000 by 2023. This move reduced the increase in payroll expenditures to 0.78% per year. In addition, non-payroll budgets were limited to a 2% annual increase since 1995. Since the Ohio Department of Transportation is managed by separate districts, district budgets were redesigned to allow any operational efficiencies to remain within the district. This allowed each district to reinvest into their roads and bridges, provided they can spend less than their budget. A comprehensive set of measures and objectives have been adopted to oversee each district's performance.

Since downsizing, ODOT has become more efficient in most areas of operation. Between 1997 and 2004, deficiencies were reduced significantly. Bridge structural deficiencies were reduced by 74%, pavement deficiencies were reduced by 79%, and guardrail deficiencies were reduced by 70%. In addition, snow and ice removal efforts were improved.

On August 5, 2003, Governor Bob Taft unveiled his 10‑year, $5 billion "Jobs and Progress plan", developed to supply $500 million annually to ODOT for new construction and revitalization projects designed to ease freeway congestion, improve road safety, and connect rural Ohio. The plan is also estimated to create over 4,000 highway construction jobs. One month later, ODOT completed Interstate 670 in Columbus, marking the completion of the original interstate highway plan in Ohio.