20120305-NEWS--5-NAT-CCI-CL_--
3/2/2012
4:45 PM
Page 1
MARCH 5 - 11, 2012
WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM
CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS
PERSONAL VIEW
Fixing highway funding critical to state economy By JERRY WRAY
O
hio’s highways are essential to keeping and creating new jobs. Our state’s economy — especially our agriculture and manufacturing businesses, and the logistics operations that support them — depend on the ability to quickly and efficiently ship raw materials and finished goods throughout Ohio, the country and the world, and our state’s transportation system makes it possible. This critical economic engine risks running out of gas. Funding for our highways is drying up and is
Mr. Wray is the director of the Ohio Department of Transportation. not projected to keep up with our needs. In fact, the state’s highway budget faces a $1.6 billion shortfall, which will force high-priority projects to face serious completion delays. While the news of the $1.6 billion highway budget shortfall came as a shock to some, it has been expected for several years by those in the transportation community. Unfortunately, little was done about it, assuming the funds would be found before the projected problem became
reality. Well, here we stand today, and we are facing a massive shortfall. This practice of not being straight about the depth of our highway funding problem is coming to an end. We have to honestly face up to the problem if we’re ever going to fix it and protect the job-creating tool that is our highway system. The cause of the problem is simple: The recent economic decline, combined with more fuel-efficient vehicles that use less gas, inflation and a federal stalemate over a longterm, national transportation funding plan has left Ohio — and every other
state — in a precarious position. The federal and state motor fuel taxes — Ohio’s primary highway funding source — are not raising as much money as they once did and are unable keep up with the rising costs of construction materials. Just as Ohio did when we came together last year to close our state’s $8 billion state budget deficit, Ohio must come together to close our highway deficit. The basic reason is simple: We cannot pay highway construction workers with dollars that don’t exist. The bigger reason is, of course, unless we keep See VIEW Page 6
700 W. St. Clair Ave., Suite 310, Cleveland, OH 44113-1230 Phone: (216) 522-1383 Fax: (216) 694-4264 www.crainscleveland.com Publisher/editorial director: Brian D. Tucker (btucker@crain.com) Editor: Mark Dodosh (mdodosh@crain.com) Managing editor: Scott Suttell (ssuttell@crain.com) Sections editor: Amy Ann Stoessel (astoessel@crain.com) Assistant editors: Joel Hammond (jmhammond@crain.com) Sports Kathy Carr (kcarr@crain.com) Marketing and food Senior reporter: Stan Bullard (sbullard@crain.com) Real estate and construction Reporters: Jay Miller (jmiller@crain.com) Government Chuck Soder (csoder@crain.com) Technology Dan Shingler (dshingler@crain.com) Manufacturing Tim Magaw (tmagaw@crain.com) Health care & education Michelle Park (mpark@crain.com) Finance Research editor: Deborah W. Hillyer (dhillyer@crain.com) Cartoonist/illustrator: Rich Williams Marketing director: Lori Grim (lgrim@crain.com) Marketing/Events manager: Christian Hendricks (chendricks@crain.com) Marketing/Events coordinator: Jessica Snyder (jdsnyder@crain.com) Advertising sales manager: Nicole Mastrangelo (nmastrangelo@crain.com) Senior account executive: Adam Mandell (amandell@crain.com) Account executives: Dawn Donegan (ddonegan@crain.com) Andy Hollander (ahollander@crain.com) Office coordinator: Toni Coleman (tcoleman@crain.com) Digital strategy and development manager: Stephen Herron (sherron@crain.com) Web/Print production director: Craig L. Mackey (cmackey@crain.com) Production assistant/video editor: Steven Bennett (sbennett@crain.com) Graphic designer: Lauren M. Rafferty (lrafferty@crain.com) Billing: Susan Jaranowski, 313-446-6024 (sjaranowski@crain.com) Credit: Todd Masura, 313-446-6097 (tmasura@crain.com) Audience development manager: Erin Miller (emiller@crain.com)
Crain Communications Inc. Keith E. Crain: Chairman Rance Crain: President Merrilee Crain: Secretary Mary Kay Crain: Treasurer William A. Morrow: Executive vice president/operations Brian D. Tucker: Vice president Robert C. Adams: Group vice president technology, circulation, manufacturing Paul Dalpiaz: Chief Information Officer Dave Kamis: Vice president/production & manufacturing G.D. Crain Jr. Founder (1885-1973) Mrs. G.D. Crain Jr. Chairman (1911-1996) Subscriptions: In Ohio: 1 year - $64, 2 year - $110. Outside Ohio: 1 year - $110, 2 year - $195. Single copy, $2.00. Allow 4 weeks for change of address. For subscription information and delivery concerns send correspondence to Audience Development Department, Crain’s Cleveland Business, 1155 Gratiot Avenue, Detroit, Michigan, 48207-2912, or email to customerservice@crainscleveland.com, or call 877-812-1588 (in the U.S. and Canada) or (313) 446-0450 (all other locations), or fax 313-446-6777. Reprints: Call 1-800-290-5460 Ext. 125 Audit Bureau of Circulation
5