(C) Common Dreams
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Despite economic potential, I-73 through Ohio, five other states faces money roadblock [1]
['Sabrina Eaton', 'Seaton Plaind.Com']
Date: 2025-08-11 17:31:05.180000+00:00
This map shows the route of a proposed interstate highway system that would connect Michigan and South Carolina by way of Ohio. Proponents say it would stimulate economic development and growth in areas along the route. Transportation Advocacy Group of Northwest Ohio
WASHINGTON - Funding speedbumps in constructing interstate highways have replaced the aggressive federal push of the 1950s, forcing today’s states to navigate complex financing challenges and prove projects are worth billions before breaking ground.
The tighter funding picture complicates the task of planners in six states who have worked for decades to create a new interstate highway that would connect Michigan to South Carolina by way of Ohio, stitching together existing roadways and planned construction into a transportation corridor that could reshape regional economic development.
The shift in the funding picture stems largely from the Highway Trust Fund’s chronic shortfalls. Federal fuel taxes haven’t been increased since 1993, while construction costs have soared and fuel efficiency has reduced per-mile tax collections.
The fund now faces recurring deficits, forcing Congress to repeatedly transfer money from general revenues to keep highway programs operating. This financial squeeze has fundamentally changed how states approach major interstate projects.
Current highway spending is around $80 billion yearly while revenue, without General Fund transfers, is hovering around $42 to $43 billion each year creating a massive structural imbalance that forces difficult choices about which projects get federal dollars.
Ohio is currently conducting a $1.5 million feasibility study to examine feasibility and possible routes for a new Interstate 73 corridor that would connect underdeveloped parts of the state to a nearly 1,000-mile transportation network.
The Ohio Department of Transportation study, scheduled for completion by the end of 2026, reflects broader changes in how major highway projects get funded in an era where “states don’t want to pledge state money until there’s federal money” and “the federal government doesn’t want to fund until they have state buy in,” according to advocates working on the multi-state project.
Study will guide ‘scarce funding’ allocation
The ODOT feasibility study represents a critical first step in determining whether Ohio should commit resources to the Interstate 73-74-75 corridor, which would run from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, passing through Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina.
According to Ohio Department of Transportation documentation, the study’s key objective is providing “an objective, transparent analysis of what it would take to construct I-73” while emphasizing “this is not a commitment to build the interstate—but strictly informational.” The research “arms the state’s decision makers with data so they can execute accordingly” and “helps determine where scarce funding can be most effectively allocated.”
The Ohio section of the proposed interstate would largely follow U.S. Route 23, running south from Toledo, through Columbus, and all the way to the Kentucky/West Virginia border near Chesapeake, Ohio.
The study’s findings “will help decide the project’s future, its allocation of state funding, and guide potential routes,” ODOT says.
Funding challenges reflect national infrastructure reality
Jimmy Gray, president of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and executive director of the I-73, I-74, I-75 Corridor Association, says the funding challenges reflect broader changes in federal infrastructure investment, with the U.S. government not pushing interstate highway construction as it did during the 1950s.
“We deal at times with a chicken or the egg issue,” says Gray. “States don’t want to pledge state money until there’s federal money. The federal government doesn’t want to fund until they have state buy in.”
Gray says the project has been discussed for almost 30 years, with members of the group working to build the highway meeting regularly with congressional representatives in six states to discuss progress and strategize on securing funding.
Each of the six states has designated portions of the route as priority corridors, but progress varies between them. South Carolina has completed permitting and environmental reviews for its segment and is “shovel ready,” with permits approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and right-of-way purchased.
“We’re just waiting on money,” says Gray. “That is the holdback.”
In South Carolina’s Horry County, voters approved a referendum dedicating $450 million toward Interstate 73 construction - about half the estimated $900 million cost for that segment, demonstrating the creative financing mechanisms states are exploring, including local sales taxes and federal grants.
Congressional support emerges
U.S. Rep. Dave Taylor, whose district would be served by the highway, introduced a congressional resolution last month supporting construction of Ohio’s portion, citing growing defense-related industries in the region.
A statement from Taylor said southern Ohio needs infrastructure to support businesses like a growing uranium enrichment site in Piketon, and a defense technology company building an advanced manufacturing facility to make military drones and autonomous air vehicles in Pickaway County.
“An interstate through southern Ohio would not just help connect rural communities to the modern economy but would enhance our national security because of multiple key facilities and defense-related companies along the route,” Taylor said.
Taylor sought support for the project from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy at a recent House Transportation Committee hearing, where Duffy said he’d be happy to discuss USDOT’s role with Taylor.
“We have too many communities that don’t have adequate infrastructure, and most of them are oftentimes rural,” Duffy said at the hearing.
Economic development engine awaits funding solutions
Gray regards the prospective highway as more of an economic development engine than a tourism enhancement, estimating it would cut driving time from Ohio to Myrtle Beach by hours.
“If you look at these six states, they are states with a lot of residential and commercial growth,” says Gray. He says communities that lack interstate highway access often lose out on economic growth opportunities because it’s a key factor companies consider when deciding where to build.
The corridor would connect major population centers and industrial hubs, from Michigan’s manufacturing base through Ohio’s defense and technology facilities to the tourism economy of the Carolinas.
Critical bottlenecks drive Ohio’s interest
Toledo’s Tom Kovacik, executive director of the Transportation Advocacy Group of Northwest Ohio, has been working on Ohio’s portion for 25 years. He says eliminating bottlenecks that prevent free-flowing traffic between Toledo and Columbus is a big priority, particularly creating a bypass for U.S. 23 in Delaware, Ohio, where 38 traffic lights in 20 miles impede through traffic.
“If you’re a trucking company trying to get from Toledo to Columbus, you’re stuck in a 20-mile stretch with nearly 40 red lights,” Kovacik said. “That’s not an expressway—it’s a logistical nightmare.”
The planned bypass would connect U.S. 23 directly to Interstate 71 north of Columbus, eliminating the congested passage through Delaware entirely. Kovacik estimates any one of the potential routes would probably cost hundreds of millions of dollars but believes it would be worth it.
“A lot of these distribution centers locating in Ohio, a lot in Columbus,” he says. “We just got a new Intel factory. That is just outside Columbus. The route from Columbus to Northwest Ohio is critical.”
Once the Delaware bypass is completed, Kovacik said he will have accomplished his goal of ensuring a direct route from Myrtle Beach to Mackinaw, Michigan. “I will be one of the first people on that bypass,” he said.
Rural communities seek economic lifeline
Darren LeBrun, Scioto County engineer, described his part of southern Ohio as caught in a “black hole,” with a lack of interstate connections that hampers economic development. The region sits surrounded by Interstates 71, 70, and 77 but lacks direct connections.
“Portsmouth is a rust belt town built on manufacturing,” LeBrun says. “Whenever developers come in to put in a factory or big development, if interstate access isn’t there, they keep looking and we’re not considered. It is a handicap for us.”
Because of a lack of local employment that he hopes an interstate highway might remedy, he said a significant proportion of his county’s residents commute to Columbus daily, facing 90 minutes to two hours of driving each way. An interstate corridor could reduce that commute by at least 30 minutes while improving safety, he estimates.
LeBrun acknowledged the project would require phased construction over many years due to its massive scope and cost. The ODOT feasibility study will determine preferred alignments and associated costs for each option, providing the technical foundation needed to secure future funding.
“The big thing is to get the plan upfront, and then you can build it in pieces,” he said, comparing the approach to North Carolina’s Interstate 74, which took more than 20 years to complete.
“These communities were once home to thriving steel mills and shoe factories,” says LeBrun. “We have able-bodied people, we have rail, we have Ohio River access—we just don’t have the interstate. That’s the piece that’s been missing.”
Despite the funding challenges, Gray remains optimistic about the project’s eventual completion.
“I remain confident it is a necessary project in each of these corridor states,” says Gray. “It is going to happen because it is a good project.”
This story was drafted with assistance from artificial intelligence.
Interstate 73 project faces funding hurdles despite economic potential
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https://www.cleveland.com/news/2025/08/despite-economic-potential-i-73-through-ohio-five-other-states-faces-money-roadblock.html
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