Nicholas A. Homrighausen, Executive Director of Community & Economic Development – Harrison County, Ohio
Evan Scurti, Executive Director- Jefferson County Port Authority
Tiffany Swigert, Executive Director – Coshocton Port Authority
Jeannette Wierzbicki, P.E. – Executive Director OMEGA (Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association)
The Columbus-Pittsburgh Corridor Association (CPCA) took its show on the road recently, traveling to Washington, D.C. in an effort to seek federal support for its vision.
The vision involves completing a 160-mile four-lane highway between Columbus and Pittsburgh. Forty-seven miles or 30 percent of the roadway remain to be finished. CPCA believes those 47 miles will have a positive economic impact on six counties in Ohio.
“Our goal at this point is securing financial support for a new feasibility study that would re-evaluate the economic impact in the area and what it would take to compete the project,” said Ed Looman, Eastern Ohio project manager for APEG and chairman of the association. “We are seeking support from all levels of government along the corridor path and funding to commission the report.”
In 2011, a study by the Ohio Department of Transportation said completion of the corridor would only create 55 new jobs. However, the corridor association said more than $5 billion in private investment has led to more than 9,500 jobs being created in the region in the past seven years due as a result of the oil and gas boom and other companies expanding.
“The message we took to Washington was simple—finish what you’ve started,” said Tiffany Swigert, executive director of the Coshocton Port Authority and a CPCA member. “We discussed the economic success eastern Ohio has achieved in recent years and the continued growth we are forecasting for the future.
“Overall, the trip was very positive. We had a great meeting with the U.S. Department of Energy and that office is willing to help us moving forward. We also received positive feedback from elected Ohio officials.”
Swigert was joined on the trip by Evan Scurti, executive director of the Jefferson County Port Authority, Nick Homrighausen, executive director of the Harrison County Community Improvement Corporation and the CPCA vice chairman and Jeannette Wierzbicki, executive director of the Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association and the CPCA treasurer/secretary..
“Good, quality infrastructure helps to drive economic growth and development,” Wierzbicki said. “This project will transform our region, spur economic opportunities and help Appalachia reach parity with the rest of the state and nation. We will absolutely be a driving force in our nation’s economy.”
The association believes the roadway would provide a commerce corridor for freight transport with rail and river access that is a priority for the oil and gas industry and manufacturers. In addition, the corridor will help boost tourism and support a pipeline of workers to growing businesses in the region.
The corridor starts at I-270/SR 161 on the northeast side of Columbus, follows SR 161/SR 16 through New Albany and Newark to Coshocton, continues on US 36 from Coshocton to Dennison, along US 250 to US 22 at Cadiz, and continues along US 22 to Pittsburgh. Only 30 percent of the corridor is left to complete–this includes improvements on 3.6 miles in Muskingum County, 7.6 miles in Coshocton County, 15.3 miles in Tuscarawas County, and 20.6 miles in Harrison County.
“We’re seeking assistance at the federal and state levels to help us unlock the full potential of Eastern Ohio,” said Swigert. “Our region is becoming the second petrochemical hub in the country and has seem remarkable growth in manufacturing along with logistics and distribution.
“The missing link to our continued growth is this corridor. That was the key point we left behind in Washington.”
The association will meet next on Aug. 27 at 10 a.m. on the campus of the Central Ohio Technical College in Coshocton.
