By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
After years of brakes being tapped again and again, the proposal for a U.S. 23 bypass linking this region to Columbus has received a green light.
Sandy Spang, executive director of the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments, announced the “really big news” during the annual Bowling Green Economic Development gathering on Thursday.
TMACOG has been advocating since 2008 for a free-flowing pathway to Columbus. The organization was dealt a “huge disappointment” recently when the Ohio Department of Transportation’s $10 million plan for the congestion failed to include a bypass.
“So we began to push back,” Spang said.
Those efforts moved the needle – with the Ohio Senate agreeing this week to include an amendment in its sub-bill to make plans for a bypass. The amendment sets aside money to plan for the bypass – not just conduct another study, she said.
“We’ve never gotten that far,” Spang said.
“We just found this out” within the past day, she reported to the more than 200 people attending the BG Economic Development luncheon.
The bypass would likely be a toll road, which will not only provide less stop and go traffic for motorists headed to Columbus, but will also move some freight traffic off Route 23.
State Sen. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, was at Thursday’s economic development meeting, and voiced her support for the bypass planning.
“I’m committed and Senate leadership is committed to find a real solution to connect Northwest Ohio to Columbus,” Gavarone said.
Area residents tasked with frequent trips to the state capital know the frustration of encountering 38 traffic lights in the 37 miles on Route 23 between Waldo and northern Columbus. The congestion is seen as a barrier to commerce.
Northwest Ohio is the only metropolitan area in the state without a free-flowing connection to the capital. Drivers from Cleveland, Youngstown, Akron, Canton, Dayton, and Cincinnati encounter zero stop lights on highways enroute to Columbus, according to TMACOG.
In 2022, Bowling Green City Council joined other governmental entities in the region and passed a resolution urging ODOT to continue its study of a Route 23 bypass.
The Bowling Green resolution cites benefits of an improved Route 23 corridor as reduced congestion, improved travel times, decreased crash rates, and a strengthened connection between Northwest Ohio and Columbus – which provides additional access to domestic and international markets for both regions.
In 2022, TMACOG noted the following about Route 23:
- Route 23 already has 30% more traffic than it was designed for. This has caused increased congestion, unpredictable travel times, and higher crash rates.
- Bottlenecks are frustrating for travelers and impede commerce and freight, making it harder to do business and attract new companies.
- As the area continues to develop, this problem will only get worse.
Spang’s speech on Thursday also focused on transportation infrastructure to the north that will undoubtedly help commerce in Northwest Ohio.
The $6.4 billion Gordie Howe bridge between Detroit and Windsor is planned to open this fall.
The structure is a physical feat – with the six lanes spanning 1.5 miles and reaching heights of 700 feet. Both sides of the bridge have massive space for customs, which should ensure more predictability for traffic.
The existing Ambassador bridge is ill-equipped for the amount of traffic between the two nations. Some delays cause freight traffic to be rerouted to Buffalo, New York, Spang said. That lack of reliability does not bode well for Northwest Ohio attracting new industry.
The new bridge will allow commerce “smooth sailing” to Ohio, she added.
