City studies pros, cons of redesignating Ohio highway to interstate
By LAURA FREEMAN, MAPLE HEIGHTS PRESS
The Trucker News Services
12/18/2008
MAPLE HEIGHTS, Ohio — This city is exploring the benefits of changing state Route 8 to an interstate highway by talking to other communities about making the switch, according to a story in The Maple Heights Press.
Hudson City Council members have discussed a proposal in a letter from an Akron resident who suggested Route 8 be designated as an interstate highway to make the communities along the route more attractive to relocating businesses.
City Manager Anthony Bales said he would talk to other communities for input and find out what they would have to do to change the designation from a state route to an interstate.
Paula Putnam, personal relations for the Ohio Department of Transportation, said to rename a state route as an interstate, the director of ODOT has to send a request for the change to the Federal Highway Administration, which has the ultimate authority.
The highway must meet the criteria for an interstate to be approved. ODOT would not get involved until it received a formal request the change the highway's designation from the affected communities, Putnam said.
The Akron letter writer, Darrell Klotz, wrote that as states upgrade existing highways to interstate standards they are redesignating them to keep existing jobs and attract new jobs with easy access to interstate highways and airports.
Since ODOT is upgrading Route 8 between state Route 303 and Interstate 271, Klotz proposed renaming the freeway portion of Route 8 to Interstate 477. A portion of non freeway between I-271 and downtown Cleveland would remain as Route 8.
Klotz wrote that interstate highways are more prominently displayed on maps, which gives communities more exposure to travelers and appeals to business owners looking to relocate.
"When businesses look at locations they know what an interstate highway is," Council member David Basil said.
Hudson Economic Development Director Chuck Wiedie said when prospective businesses look at a site for a project, they look at interstate highways more than others. They know they get a four-lane highway with an interstate highway. They don't know what they get with a state route, he said.
City Manager Anthony Bales said the city is responsible for updating signs on Route 8 where it passes through city limits as part of the upgrades.
"We're already committed to updating some signs, so it’s a good time [to rename the highway]," Bales said.
Putnam said there would be no change in overall federal funding for the highway if it became an interstate. But as a state route, the cities are responsible for routine maintenance, Putnam said. As an interstate, ODOT would be responsible for the routine maintenance.
