Champaign County News

Champaign Economic Partnership - CEP Ohio
  • Why Champaign County?
  • Start a Business
  • Site Selector
    • Available Properties
    • Financial Incentives
    • Training Incentives
    • Maps
    • Utilities
    • Tax Reform
  • Key Industries
    • Agri-Business
    • Manufacturing
    • Health Care Services
  • Workforce & Talent
    • Champaign Works Job Board
    • Wage & Benefit Survey
    • Engineering Survey
    • Local Schools
    • Colleges & Universities
  • Community
    • Champaign County Comprehensive Plan
    • Housing Study
    • Demographics
    • Maps
    • Real Estate Agencies
  • News
    • Public Notices
    • Newsletter
  • About CEP
    • Staff
    • Board

Brighter future for road projects?

2/8/2016

 

LUC receives RTPO designation from governor

Picture
by Joshua Keeran, Weekly Current (Full Article)
Future improvements to Champaign County’s transportation systems received a boost on Jan. 27 when Gov. John Kasich designated the Logan-Union-Champaign (LUC) Regional Planning Commission as an Ohio Regional Transportation Planning Organization (RTPO). With this designation, which covers Logan and Champaign counties, the LUC’s RTPO will be working hand and hand with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT).

“It means that the LUC’s RTPO is formally recognized as a body to enhance the planning, coordination and implementation of statewide strategic long-range transportation plans and transportation improvement programs, with an emphasis on addressing the needs of non-metropolitan areas of the state,” LUC Director Dave Gulden said. He noted the Ohio RTPO designation came following the LUC’s involvement in ODOT’s two-year RTPO Pilot Program, in which grant funding was used to complete and adopt a regional transportation plan last year for Champaign and Logan counties.

Champaign County Engineer Stephen McCall, who serves as LUC Regional Planning Commission Board president, said, “The RTPO is another potential avenue for transportation funding, and this official designation bodes well for the program.”

Along with formalizing the transportation planning process with ODOT, Gulden said, the RTPO designation gives the LUC a seat at the table when transportation decisions are made at the state level that affect Champaign and Logan counties.

Addressing regional transportation issues
From now until July 2017, Gulden said, the RTPO component of the LUC will be funded through an ODOT grant, with the focus on carrying out the RTPO’s scope of work.

“The next two-year scope includes involvement with the ODOT planning process, data items like traffic counts, grant writing like using the CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) program for transportation improvements, and regional transportation plan implementation.”

One area the 2015 regional transportation plan highlighted as needing to be studied more in-depth was the Indian Lake area, specifically the impact of seasonal traffic and population on the area’s transportation system.

As for Champaign County, Gulden said, the LUC’s RTPO will be looking into two specific forms of transportation – freight and bicycles.

“A freight profile will be developed as another sub-area plan, which will include Champaign County,” he said. “Also, ODOT is designating state bicycle routes that will impact Champaign County.”

City of Urbana Engineer Tyler Bumbalough, who also serves as an LUC Regional Planning Commission Board member, said developing a freight plan for Champaign County would benefit the city, especially the downtown area.

“Out of about 25,000 vehicles a day that pass through Monument Square, 7 percent are trucks,” he said. “That means about 1,750 trucks pass through each day, so, yeah, I think there’s demand for a freight plan.

“Grimes Field is an under-utilized asset for the city of Urbana, too. More freight coming in and out of there could benefit the city economically,” he added.

As for a U.S. Route 68 bypass being a possible part of the freight plan, Bumbalough said he doesn’t see the bypass being economically responsible at the state or local levels.

“Locally, downtown and the U.S. 68 corridor would suffer because drive-by business is critical to their well-being,” he said. “From a state standpoint, many existing infrastructure needs outweigh a new project.”

Champaign Economic Partnership Economic Development Director Marcia Bailey, who served on the steering committee during the creation of the regional transportation plan, said the LUC being designated an Ohio RTPO is a “great asset” for economic development within Champaign County.

“The plan identified areas of improvement in our transportation that would allow and foster economic and community growth in our region,” she said. “The LUC will be able to better assist the communities as we move forward with planning for development projects (residential, commercial and industrial) regarding transportation needs.”

From a county economic development perspective, looking at ways to improve how freight makes its way in and out of the county is something Bailey is looking forward to.

​“A freight transportation plan will be vital in establishing a safe, cost-effective route for current and future businesses,” she said.

Joshua Keeran may be reached at 937-652-1331 (ext. 1774) or on Twitter @UDCKeeran.


Comments are closed.

    Archives

    November 2024
    February 2024
    April 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015

    Categories

    All
    Aerospace
    Agriculture
    Aldi
    American Pan Company
    Berry Digital Solutions
    Bundy Baking Solutions
    Business Advisory Council
    Business Community Support
    Business Liaison
    Business Playbook
    Career Fair
    CEP
    Champaign Aviation Museum
    Champaign County Events
    Champaign County Job Board
    Champaign County Jobs
    Champaign Foundation
    Champaign Health District
    Champaign Works
    Clark State
    Cobblestone Hotel
    ColePak
    Community Improvement
    Community Reinvestment
    Douglas Hotel
    DP&L
    Economic Development
    Edison State Community College
    Education
    FASTLANE
    Graham Schools
    Hall Company
    Health Care Services
    Honda
    Honeywell
    Housing Market
    Hughey & Phillips
    JobsOhio
    Johnson Welded Products
    JRS
    Kiser Lake
    Koenig Equipment
    KTH
    Legacy Place
    Manufacturing
    Manufacturing Day
    #ManufacturingMonday
    Mary Rutan Hospital
    Mechanicsburg
    Mechanicsburg Business
    Mechanicsburg High School
    Mercy Memorial Hospital
    Monument Square District
    Moving Downtown Forward
    Navistar
    New Business
    New Construction
    North Lewisburg
    Ohio Hi Point
    Ohio Hi-Point
    OhioMeansJobs Champaign County
    Ohio TechCred
    Old Souls Farms
    Opportunity Zones
    ORBIS
    Parker Trutec
    Pioneer Electric
    Q3/JMC Property
    Real Estate
    Recruitment
    Rittal
    Robert Rothschild Farm
    Rosewood Machine & Tool Co.
    Sarica Manufacturing
    Senior Center
    Senior Housing
    Shop Local
    Small Business Development
    Small Business Loans
    South Main Street Corridor
    Springfield Foundation
    Start A Business
    St. Paris
    Sutphen Corp
    Talent Retention
    Tax Incentives
    Technology
    Top 100 Micropolitan
    Transportation
    Triad High School
    True Inspection Services
    Ultra Met
    Urbana City Council
    Urbana City Schools
    Urbana Hotel
    Urbana Planning Commission
    Urbana University
    Wage And Benefits Survey
    WEIDMANN
    West Liberty Salem Schools
    West Liberty-Salem Schools
    Wittenberg University
    Zoning

    RSS Feed

Picture
CEP Office Location:
1512 South US Highway 68, Bay 14,
Urbana, Ohio 43078

Mailing Address: 
PO Box 268, Urbana Ohio 43078
937-653-7200
Accessibility
All drone photography courtesy of Jassen Dobyns of UAVisions LLC. Additional photography courtesy of ​Dave Millner of the Champaign Camera Group.
Website by Berry Digital Solutions, LLC
Urbana, Ohio
Click on the logos for more information.
 Champaign County Jobs
Picture
Picture
Dayton Development Coalition logo
Champaign County Chamber of Commerce logo
Picture
Picture
Picture
North Lewisburg, Ohio website
St. Paris, Ohio
Photo from Free for Commercial Use
  • Why Champaign County?
  • Start a Business
  • Site Selector
    • Available Properties
    • Financial Incentives
    • Training Incentives
    • Maps
    • Utilities
    • Tax Reform
  • Key Industries
    • Agri-Business
    • Manufacturing
    • Health Care Services
  • Workforce & Talent
    • Champaign Works Job Board
    • Wage & Benefit Survey
    • Engineering Survey
    • Local Schools
    • Colleges & Universities
  • Community
    • Champaign County Comprehensive Plan
    • Housing Study
    • Demographics
    • Maps
    • Real Estate Agencies
  • News
    • Public Notices
    • Newsletter
  • About CEP
    • Staff
    • Board