In Southeast Ohio, many counties face economic problems and lack major road infrastructure needed for economic development.
Southeast Ohio is stuck in a bind.
The region stands alone as the only portion of the state lacking a major interstate, which may be one reason the area lags economically. No one knows this more than State Sen. Lou Gentile, D-Steubenville.
“As someone who travels around Southeast Ohio for my job, I put 120,000 miles on my car in two years,” Gentile said. “Infrastructure has always been a challenge for our part of Ohio. Sometimes it’s quicker to get from Steubenville to Columbus than it is to go from Steubenville to Athens.”
Athens Mayor Paul Wiehl, who at one time served on the city’s transportation committee, said the area is lagging behind the rest of the state, potentially because it doesn’t have a major highway or commercial airport.
But that hypothetical highway isn’t realistic, said Ron Neuhauser, the transportation administrator for the Ohio Department of Transportation in Hocking County.
“It probably would help the economy, but it would never happen,” Neuhauser said. “There are too many geographic barriers like Hocking Hills and national forests.”
Even if a highway was considered despite the geographic obstacles, Neuhauser said the volume of traffic isn’t significant enough for a major infrastructure project, such as a new interstate highway.
According to the Athens County Annual Average Daily Traffic report from 2012, the only roadway in the county averaging 21,000 to 24,550 vehicles per day is the stretch of Route 33 between Athens and The Plains. The span of roadway is roughly four miles long.
On U.S. Route 50 (also known as Route 32), the typically volume of daily traffic varies from 3,500 to 21,000 vehicles, depending on which portion of roadway. The majority of the route averages 7,000 to 14,000 vehicles in Athens County daily, according to the report.
With the vision of an interstate system resembling more of a mirage than a future possibility, it raises the question: what’s wrong with the roads already in place?
This is where the effects of infrastructure begin taking their toll.
The difference between even having a major roadway such as a U.S. route or Interstate 77 pass through a county in Southeast Ohio can be drastic—affecting anything from traffic counts to unemployment rates.
The national unemployment rate was 5.6 percent in March, not seasonally adjusted, according to an Ohio state report. The state unemployment rate was 5.4.
Both of those averages are far from southeast Ohio’s 7.6 percent rate. Yet, even within the region, there are large differences depending on the county.
Washington County has the lowest unemployment rate at 6.1 percent. It’s also the only county in the region with both an interstate (I-77) and a U.S. route (Route 50).
Athens County’s rate was similar at 6.3 percent, but it’s also the only county in the region with two U.S. routes – Route 50 and Route 33.
And then there’s Monroe County, with a 9.9 percent unemployment rate that was Ohio’s highest. It also lacks a U.S. route and interstate. In fact, the busiest road in the county is a half-mile stretch in Woodsfield that averages 7,350 daily, the county’s 2013 traffic report indicated.
“There’s a joke around here that we’re an hour away from civilization,” said Bill Long, the workforce unit supervisor for Monroe County Job and Family Services. “That’s not far off.”
Long said the high unemployment rate can be attributed to one factor—Ormet shutting down its aluminum plant in 2013, which cut 700 jobs, according to an article from The Columbus Dispatch.
“When the largest employer shut down, it had a devastating toll on economic development,” Long said. “Ormet was the largest tax base. Now there’s not a lot of job opportunities here.”
Data from the U.S. Census shows Monroe County has the longest drive times of any other county in the region. The average commute is 32.1 minutes, while the state average is 23.
A February 2014 press release from Ormet states the company filed for bankruptcy and is selling off its assets at the Hannibal, Monroe County, location. The headquarters of Ormet are still in Hannibal.
While Monroe County faced business shutting down and a lack of outside interest replacing it, Nelsonville, however, has to cope with a U.S. route’s renovation, which bypasses the city entirely.
As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a $200 million project that spans 8.5 miles around the city was opened in October 2013, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation’s website.
For the Ohio Department of Transportation, the bypass was a victory.
The new U.S. Route 33 not only reduced traffic times near the town, it allowed drivers to maintain a 70 mph speed limit, a speed most roads in the region cannot offer.
In addition, the number of accidents dropped drastically. The Ohio Department of Transportation reported an 82 percent reduction in accidents.
For the positive factors the bypass brought for transportation in Ohio, just as many negative consequences potentially loomed over Nelsonville.
Already lagging behind Athens economically, the new U.S. Route 33 moved the road away from the town, as opposed to the route being the main thoroughfare, prior to October 2013.
“It hasn’t done as much (of an impact) as anyone thought it would,” said Kevin Dotson, the city’s chamber of commerce president. “It wasn’t devastating. What we realized is that people still come to the area and those people will still spend money here.”
Dotson said the businesses that probably took the greatest hit were the gas stations and restaurants along the old Route 33.
He said it’s a change Nelsonville has already adapted to, whether it’s positive or negative in the long term.
Meanwhile in Athens, the city has seen encouraging signs that transportation obstacles can be overcome.
Michael Lachman, the city’s transportation services manager, said public transit is branching out into the county, as opposed to staying solely in the city.
“Historically we’ve been a city (transportation) system, now going more rural in the county,” he said. “There’s a huge demand.”
Lachman said Athens on Demand Transit, a transit service focusing on ride assistance for seniors and individuals with disabilities, has taken off.
“They went from 0 to 8,000 rides in two years,” he said. “There’s a larger demand for transit because Athens’ population is growing at a constant rate, while the rest of Ohio’s population is flat lining.”
@charliehatch_
