Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Director Pamela Boratyn announced more than $17.5 million in grants Friday to support public transportation for the workforce in rural and urban Ohio.

ODOT awards funding to transit agencies in 16 counties through the Ohio Workforce Mobility Partnership Program (OWMP). The funding will support 33 transit projects that increase the ease and efficiency of transporting residents to economically significant employment centers or jobs outside their home communities.

“Transportation should never be a barrier to opportunity,” said Governor DeWine. “With these grants, we’re making sure Ohioans can easily travel to and from work without having to choose between a good-paying job or relocating their family.”

The OWMP program was established with the support of the Ohio General Assembly. The program provides funding for infrastructure, equipment, technology, vehicles and planning projects.

“Public transit plays an important role in providing mobility options for our workforce. This funding ensures that transit agencies are better able to connect Ohio workers to their jobs and employment opportunities across the state,” said ODOT Director Pamela Boratyn.

The projects include more than $1 million to the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) for an entrance unit, a canopy and technology that displays real-time bus arrival information at a transit hub at Rickenbacker International Airport. This hub connects COTA and Groveport Rickenbacker Employee Access Transit (GREAT) to transit agencies in Fairfield, Fayette, Madison and Pickaway counties.

Also locally, the City of Wilmington will receive $412,781 for four replacement vehicles in their transit fleet, which are critical to providing residents with a safe and reliable connection to jobs in and around Clinton County.

The Butler County Regional Transit Authority will receive $2.5 million to expand its bus yard, build a propane fuel station and provide additional driver training. These upgrades will support the CincyLink Commuter route that connects residents of Butler and Warren counties to jobs in Hamilton County. There are approximately 250,000 jobs within three miles of CincyLink stations.

In rural areas, projects include $117,004 for Morgan County Transit to support the Morgan-Noble County Workforce Connectivity project. The funds will provide two new vehicles to expand services between the two counties.

A full list can be viewed at https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/OHIOGOVERNOR/2024/11/07/fil….

OWMP is administered by ODOT’s Office of Transit, which advocates and supports safe and reliable personal mobility by coordinating and funding public transit as a vital element of Ohio’s transportation system.

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