DOT 18-11
Friday, February 11, 2011
Contact: Nancy Singer
Tel: 202-366-0660

U.S. Transportation Deputy Secretary Porcari: I-75 Modernization Means Jobs for Dayton

DAYTON, OH - U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation John Porcari today toured the widening and modernizing of I-75 in Dayton, Ohio as part of the Obama Administration's "Build Week," a week-long tour by Department of Transportation officials to showcase projects that are already making a big difference in the economy by spurring economic development and creating jobs in the communities where they are being built. The I-75 project in Dayton is expected to attract business opportunities, improve access to employment and support economic growth.

Deputy Secretary Porcari's visit follows President Obama's State of the Union Address, in which the President set the goal of "winning the future" by investing in a transportation infrastructure that will strengthen the U.S. economy at home and make the nation more competitive globally.

"I-75 in Dayton is just the kind of project President Obama was talking about when he said we need to out-build the rest of the world," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "Investing in Dayton's transportation infrastructure will not only keep construction workers on the job today, it will keep the city's economy moving forward over the longer term."

The $550 million project, built with the help of $452 million in federal aid from the Federal Highway Administration, will increase capacity on 3.7 miles of interstate from south of US-35 to north of State Route 4 by adding a third lane in each direction.

While the region has suffered manufacturing job losses over the last decade, businesses in other sectors, such as information technology and healthcare, have relocated along the I-75 corridor from Dayton to Cincinnati. With the additional job opportunities brought to the area, traffic congestion has increased, particularly around Dayton. To continue supporting economic development in Dayton, the I-75 project will widen and upgrade a congested 3.7-mile stretch that has become a major bottleneck for traffic. That section of highway currently carries more than 127,000 vehicles per day, a figure that is expected to grow to more than 148,000 vehicles by 2025.

"The I-75 modernization means good jobs right here in Dayton," said Deputy Secretary Porcari. "Our federal investment is creating construction jobs now while improving the daily commute of thousands and giving businesses a good reason to locate here."

Deputy Secretary Porcari toured a section of the project just south of downtown that includes work at the interchange with US-35 and lane widening work from the Edwin C. Moses exit to just north of Fifth Street in Dayton. This phase started in March 2010 and will be completed in August 2013.

The entire I-75 reconstruction project is scheduled for completion late 2015.

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