$8.3B transportation bill on way to DeWine

Construction projects, public transit, bridges covered under budget.

State lawmakers on Thursday put the finishing touches on an $8.3 billion, two-year state transportation budget bill.

The House agreed to Senate changes to the legislation, which now goes to Gov. Mike DeWine for consideration. DeWine, who has line-item veto authority over the bill, is expected to sign it into law by March 31.

Legislators removed a handful of provisions DeWine wanted, including making distracted driving a primary offense so that police officers could pull over drivers solely for texting. Current law requires that motorists first commit another moving violation before they can be stopped for distracted driving activities.

The DeWine administration is expected to pursue stronger distracted driving laws through a standalone bill.

Lawmakers also stripped out a plan to increase vehicle registration fees by $10 to help fund the Ohio State Highway Patrol. They also restored public transit funding to $140 million in state and federal money over two years, which matches the current spending levels.

The legislation also requires Ohio to re-open closed weigh stations for overnight truck parking.

The transportation budget, which is funded by federal grants and state gas taxes, pays for con

struction projects, public transit, bridges and operating expenses.

Major projects are typically funded over multiple years. The bill allocates $2.3 billion for highway construction in state fiscal year 2022 and $2 billion in 2023.

Gas tax revenues fell below budget projections last year because travel in Ohio was down about 15% in 2020 compared with 2019 volumes.