Officials for Canton and Stark County are calling for local businesses to provide comments on the Ohio Department of Transportation's (ODOT) Access Ohio 2040 plan, which was released in November, CantonRep.com reports. Officials and local business leaders fear that the map, which serves as the state's long-term draft transportation plan, "could hinder jobs from coming into Stark County in the coming decades." In particular, the groups are concerned about a move to downgrade Interstate 77 south of Canton from a "National Highway Corridor" to a "Statewide Highway Corridor," which they argue will reduce the likelihood of the stretch receiving state funding. They are also concerned that the map "ignores the prospect of expanding by 35 miles the U.S. Route 30 expressway east from Canton to state Route 11 in Columbiana County" – a project they say would "improve truck traffic access from Stark County to Pittsburgh and make it easier for energy companies to get to oil and gas drilling sites in Carroll and Columbiana counties," the article said. For more, read the full story.
Local leaders say ODOT's planning map will hinder economic development in Stark County
