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Home My WebLink About54-09 ResolutionRECORD OF RESOLUTIONS Resolution No. 54-09 Pussecl . 20 A RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE STATE OF OHIO FUNDING APPLICATION FOR THE I-270/LJ.S. 33 INTERCHANGE IMPROVEMENTS, PHASE 1, TO THE TRANSPORTATION REVIEW ADVISORY COUNCIL (TRAC) WHEREAS, the I-270/LT.S. 33 Interchange in Dublin, Ohio is an essential portal for the movement of goods and people throughout Central Ohio and, more specifically, in meeting the transportation needs of tens of millions of square feet of commercial and industrial development and over 60,000 existing jobs, representing a broad array of thousands of companies located within one of Ohio's most vibrant corridors of economic activity; and WHEREAS, this interchange is today recognized as a vital link meeting the transportation needs for some of Ohio's most important and successful companies, such as Honda of America Manufacturing, Scotts Miracle-Gro, Cardinal Health, Sterling Commerce, Ashland, Inc., and OCLC; and WHEREAS, the I-270/U.S. 33 Interchange will play an increasingly important role in the future as new employment opportunities continue to be attracted to Central Ohio's northwest region; and WHEREAS, projections estimate that these new and expanded developments could generate over 20,000 new jobs for the U.S. 33 Corridor from Dublin to Marysville and for the State of Ohio within the next decade; and WHEREAS, the I-270/U.S. 33 Interchange, which was built over 40 years ago in 1966, is nearing traffic volumes almost 20 percent higher than its original design capacity; and WHEREAS, the I-270/U.S. 33 Interchange is among the top ten in Ohio for freeway crashes based on frequency, severity and location; and WHEREAS, the I-270/U.S. 33 Interchange was recommended for replacement by the 2006 Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission/Ohio Department of Transportation I-270/U.S. 33 Northwest Freeway Study; and WHEREAS, the I-270/LJ.S. 33 Interchange is a critical chokepoint for the 20,000 trucks per day that move freight through and within the region; and WHEREAS, the City of Dublin has a long history of working closely with ODOT and is committed to ongoing collaboration with ODOT and other jurisdictions; and WHEREAS, the federal government has a significant interest in maintaining the long-term viability of this federal highway whose northwest area segments have reached capacity, according to the I-270/LT.S. 33 Northwest Freeway study; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of Dublin, ~~ of its elected members concumng, that: Section 1. Dublin City Council respectfully supports all efforts to obtain Transportation Review Advisory Council (TRAC) funding to assist in advancing Phase One of the reconstruction of the I-270/Ll.S. 33 Interchange, in Dublin, Ohio. Section 2. This Resolution shall be effective upon passage in accordance with Section 4.04(a) of the Revised Charter. Passed this~~ day of~ (~ u~{yeb~l/ , 2009. Mayor -Presiding Officer ATTEST: Clerk of Council CITY OF DUBLIN.. Office of the City Manager 5200 Emerald Parkway • Dublin, OH 43017-1090 Phone: 614-410-4400 • Fax: 614-410-4490 To: Members Dublin City Council From: Terry Foegler, City Manager ~~ Date. October 29, 2009 Memo Initiated By: Dana L. McDaniel, Deputy City Manager/Director of Economic Development Paul Hammersmith, City Engineer Jeannie Willis, Engineering Manager Re: Resolution 54-09, Support of TRAC Application Summary Attached for your consideration is Resolution 54-09, expressing Dublin City Council's support of an application to the Transportation Review Advisory Council (TRAC) for funding the I-270/U.S. 33 Phase I Interchange Improvements. The I-270/U.S. 33 Interchange ("the interchange") was constructed in the late 1964s as a cloverleaf interchange, much as it exists today. This interchange set the conditions to serve the I-270/U.S. 33 corridors and ultimately resulted in the explosive economic growth in the northwest portion of the Central Ohio region from Dublin to Marysville. This is arguably one of Ohio's largest economic engines. Today, this 40-year old interchange and U.S. 33 continue to serve as a critical link for goods, services and commuters. As an example: • 34,500 employees from 1,000 businesses are served by the interchange and U.S. 33 between the Frantz Road corridor west to the Post Road/U.S. 33 interchange. • It is estimated that 3,000 Honda employees, 800 Scotts employees and 3,000 Industrial Parkway employees use this interchange every day. • As of 2005, Marysville and southeast Union County had nearly 13 million square feet of developed commercial space with 19,500 employees. MORPC estimates that by 2020, there will be nearly 22 million square feet of commercial space developed with 38,000 employees in the same area. • Dublin currently has 22 million square feet of developed commercial space with capacity for an additional 17.5 million square feet. In other words, Dublin has built out only 56 percent of its commercial capacity. Despite considerable investment in local road networks in the immediate area around the interchange, it is on the verge of failure. The volume of traffic using the interchange is over 20 percent more than the capacity it was designed to carry. It will be at full system failure by the time the solution can be built, thereby jeopardizing the opportunity for future economic growth and quality of life. This interchange is ranked 10`'' in the State of Ohio for freeway crashes, based on frequency, severity and location. Due to tight competition for limited funds, a unified and loud voice is needed to champion the upgrade of this interchange before total failure is experienced. ODOT and Dublin have studied the interchange and surrounding freeway system. The result is that the interchange must be improved in multiple phases. Phase I improvements would construct a new northbound I-270 to westbound U.S. 33 ramp (see enclosure 1). The entire cost of Phase I Memo re. Resolution 54-09 Support of TRAC Application October 29, 2009 Page 2 of 3 improvements is estimated at $4S million. These costs and possible funding sources break down as follows: $12 million is needed for studies, design, right-of--way acquisition and utility work. o $9.6 million of the $12 million has been requested through the TRAC funding process. o $2.4 million of the $12 million will be paid by Dublin as its "local share." This funding has been identified in the City's Five-Year CIP (in year 2014). $33 million in federal funds will be needed for actual construction. Any funding received from the TRAC process will likely not be realized until 2014-2015, unless additional funds become available. Staff submitted Phase I interchange improvements to TRAC. TRAC has nine members and is chaired by the Director of ODOT. Six members are appointed by the Governor and one appointment each is made by the Ohio Speaker of the House and the President of the Ohio Senate. TRAC reviews applications, letters of support, holds public hearing(s) and determines all major new state transportation priorities, or those greater than $5 million. Staff also presented the project to the MORPC/Columbus Chamber review committee. This committee ranked the project as the third highest priority in the region among projects that have not already been programmed for funding. Staff is pleased the project received this ranking despite being a new project. This speaks to the criticality of the project. The next step will be to present the project to TRAC at its November 12 regional public hearing. In preparation for this public hearing, staff invited Dublin and Marysville area businesses, State Representatives, the Mayor of Marysville and the Union County Chamber Executive Director to attend a briefing about the project and the TRAC application process. Interest in and attendance at the meeting exceeded expectations. The following attended the meeting: Ashland Inc. Cardinal Health Dublin Building Systems Dublin Chamber of Commerce Dublin Methodist Hospital Fiserv Hidaka USA Honda of America Manufacturing Hunter Realty Partners IGS Energy The Memorial Tournament Nestle Quality Assurance Center OCLC OhioHealth Scotts Miracle-Gro Smith Realty Partners Union County Chamber of Commerce Verizon Wireless WD Partners Wendy's/Arby's Group State Rep. Dave Burke State Rep. John Patrick Carney State Rep. Cheryl Grossman Marysville Mayor Chris Schmenk Most, if not all, in attendance agreed the project is needed and committed to submitting letters of support. Certain businesses may testify in support of the project at the November 12 public hearing. The City of Marysville is considering a Resolution of support. Jeannie Willis, Dublin Engineering Manager-Transportation will present the improvement plan and its benefits to the Union County Commissioners at their November 9 meeting, and will request a Resolution in support of the plan. Memo re. Resolution 54-09 Support of TRAC Application October 29, 2009 Page 3 of 3 Information was shared at the Dublin Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours on October 20, and the Dublin Chamber has requested members submit letters in support of the project. Sample letters in support of the interchange improvements are available on the City's Web site, and information will be distributed to businesses and residents via the City's e-newsletter and other communications channels. It is important that we build advocacy and a unified voice for this project in order to compete for funding, not only through the TRAC process at the state level, but also in preparation for future funding at the federal level. Actual construction will likely not occur until after 2014. However, a significant effort to obtain funding is required now and must be sustained until construction is realized for Phase I and subsequent phases. Recommendation Staff recommends passage of Resolution 54-09 in support of the TRAC application. Please address any questions to Dana McDaniel. Resolution 54-09 -Exhibit 1 TRAC Regional Public Hearing November 12, 2009, 9:00 a.m. ODOT Central Office Auditorium 1980 W. Broad St. City of Dublin Presentation Timeline (10 minutes total) Orientation to site Business case Public involvement/participation Phased solution The ask Project meets TRAC's goals Jeannie Willis, Assistant City Engineer 5 minutes Speaker#1 Why it's needed Benefits to Scotts/Marysville Chris Schmenk, Mayor of Marysville/ Scotts Miracle-Gro, Director of Government and Community Affairs 2 minutes (Back-ups for Speaker #7: Honda, Union County Chamber] Speaker #2 Why it's needed Benefits to Cardinal/Dublin Nate Filler, Cardinal Health, Manager State Government Relations 2 minutes (Back-ups for Speaker #2: OhioHealth/DMH, IGS Energy]