All mileages and traffic statistics presented in the 2022 ODOT Facts Book are based on 2021 roadway information and data unless otherwise indicated.

About the Department

In 1905, the state of Ohio created the Department of Highways to address the advent of the car and the need for roads to get people from place to place. In 1972, state leader- ship recognized that transportation had evolved into a multi-modal system and created the Ohio Department of Transportation, an agency whose purpose grew from highway maintenance to planning for the future of transportation.

With a mission to provide safe and easy movement of people and goods from place to place, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is responsible for maintaining one of the largest transportation networks in the nation. Guided by ethical principles and accountability, ODOT works to improve safety, enhance travel and advance economic development. As a $3.3 billion enterprise, the department wisely invests in its core services of snow and ice removal, annual construction program and highway maintenance operations.

 
Acronyms Defined

 AADT = Annual Average Daily Traffic

      CR = County Route

FHWA = Federal Highway Administration

HPMS = Highway Performance Monitoring System

       IR = Interstate Route

   NHS = National Highway System

ODOT = Ohio Department of Transportation

   ORC = Ohio Revised Code

       SR = State Route

       US = United States Route

   VMT = Vehicle Miles Traveled (Daily VMT represented in this report)

Interstate System

Ohio has the nation’s 5th largest interstate system: over 8,000 lane miles. Enough interstate to travel from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. about 3 times.

Central locations within a days drive of more than 60% of the US and Canadian populations.

National Highway System

The National Highway System (NHS) consists of roadways important to the nation’s economy, defense, and mobility. It includes the following subsystems of roadways (note that a specific highway route may be on more than one subsystem):

• Interstate
• Other Principal Arterials
• Strategic Highway Network (STRAHNET)
• Major Strategic Highway Network Connectors
• Intermodal Connectors

The NHS was developed by the Department of Transportation (DOT) in cooperation with the states, local officials, and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs).

Functional Classification Hierarchy

Functional Classification Summary

Federal Aid Highway System*

*State system roads only.

Non-Federal Aid Highway System*

Rural

*State system roads only.

Asset Management by the Numbers

ODOT manages a large, complex transportation system, made up of infrastructure assets such as pavements, bridges and conduits estimated at over $116 billion. ODOT has implemented a federally compliant Transportation Asset Management Plan that will allow the department to manage our transportation system and its assets in the most optimal manner. One of ODOT’s most critical mission is to maintain these assets in a condition suitable to support the economic vitality, safety and mobility of freight traffic, residents and travelers who use Ohio’s transportation system. To deliver on this mission, ODOT continuously adapts its business process to mitigate the potential risks to the transportation system.

These risks include uncertainties that impact planned investments, such as flat funding and inflation, increased freight volumes and maintaining institutional knowledge, to name a few. 

ODOT is facing these risks head on by building on its previous asset management efforts and improving the way it does business: leveraging department-wide collaboration to improve results and ensure a reliable, sustainable transportation system.

Bridges

Ohio has the nation’s second largest total number of bridges: 27,151.* 

Bridge Maintenance Breakdown by:

**FHWA 23CFR650c: a structure having a track or passageway for carrying traffic or other moving loads, and having an opening measured along the center of the roadway of more than 20 feet.

**Other parties responsible for maintenance include: Federal Government, Railroad, Private, ODOR, Ohio Conservancy, Ohio Parks, Ohio Institutions, Local Transit, Township, U.S. Forest, National Parks, Corps of Engineers, Air Force, Navy/Marines, Army, NASA and border states.

***Total number of bridges meeting FHWA and Ohio Definitions of any structure of ten feet or more clear span or ten feet or more in diameter (FHWA 23CFR650c and ORC 5501.47).

Transportation Modes Facts

Since 2011, Ohio traffic deaths have increased 33%, serious injuries have decreased by 18%, and total crashes have decreased by 9%. Learn more at zerodeaths.ohio.gov

Public Transit

Ohioans are served by 67 transit systems: 27 in urban centers and 40 in rural areas.

Ohio’s transit systems spend over $832 million annually which generates $3.3 billion in economic activity. These systems provide 61 million rides annually, including 1.5 million that meet the needs of seniors and people with disabilities

Ohio’s 7,800 transit workers help create and support 23,400 private/public-sector jobs.

Freight Rail

Ohio is 4th in the nation in total active rail miles with 5,081 miles which represents 3.6% of the US Rail system. The high mileage of rail lines in Ohio reflects the close integration of rail with Ohio’s economy. Freight railroads own 4,589 miles, the state of Ohio has 270 miles, local governments own 222 miles, the federal government has 77 miles and tourist railroads have 30 miles.  Ohio has 6,672 at-grade railroad crossings. Ohio is only behind Illinois and Texas with 12 intermodal terminals.

Maritime

Ohio’s Maritime Infrastructure – 8 ports, 226 commercial docks and 162 terminals – is critical to the state’s competitiveness in many important economic sectors and a vital component of the larger Ohio multimodal freight system.  The state has 736 miles of navigable waterways; 265 miles along Lake Erie, 451 miles along the Ohio River, 11 miles along the Maumee River and 9 miles along the Cuyahoga River.  Ohio’s Maritime Transportation System (MTS) is a key component of the state’s multimodal freight transportation system.

Along the southern border of the state is the Ohio River, which provides connections to Southern, Eastern, and Midwestern states as well as the Gulf of Mexico through the connection to the Mississippi River.  The Mid-Ohio Valley district, which runs 220 miles of the Ohio River, is ranked 17th in total tons.  The Port of Cincinnati-Northern KY Ports isn’t too far behind with a ranking of 19th.

Aviation

Ohio has 176 public use aviation facilities. Publicly owned airports are in 84 of Ohio’s 88 counties and Ohio has 8 commercial airports which generate $13.3 billion in total GDP for Ohio. With the emergence of e-commerce, air cargo facilities at Rickenbacker and Wilmington have seen increases in air freight.

Active Transportation (Walking & Biking)

Ohio boasts the nation’s most miles of designated US Bike Route with over 1,500 miles and 8% of the US Bike Route System. More than 3,000 miles of lane/path miles—traversing 77 different counties and connecting the state’s 17 largest population centers and destinations—comprise Ohio’s State and US Bike Route System. These routes are made up of a variety of facilities: approximately 2,100 miles of shared lanes, 930 miles of shared use path, 170 miles of paved shoulder, and 50 miles of bike lanes. ODOT maintains more  than 737 miles or 22% of the system.

Environmental Impacts
About one in five Ohioans walk daily as a mode of travel, and 10 percent use modes like bikes or scooters each month. It is estimated that walking and biking trips will save Ohio residents $12.7 billion in transportation and environmental costs over the next 20 years, and could prevent 6.8 million metric tons of greenhouse gas and pollutant emissions from entering the atmosphere.

Crashes & Fatalities
In Ohio, Fatal and Serious Injury (FSI) bicycle and pedestrian crashes primarily occur on arterial roadways, which account for 55% of all FSI pedestrian crashes and 46% of all FSI bicycle crashes, but only represent 8% of the total roadway network mileage in the state. 15% of all FSI pedestrian crashes and 10% of all FSI bicycle crashes occur on a state-maintained roadway.
 

Pedestrian and Bicyclist fatalities by year.

Ohio Scenic Byways Program

Ohio has 27 state-designated Byways—routes that feature scenic, natural, cultural, historical, recreational, and archeological sites—connecting cities through rural areas and small towns, including the newest designees: the Neil Armstrong Byway in the city of Wapakoneta, and the Appalachian Byway of Ohio which travels from Athens to the Ohio River.

Six of our Ohio Byways routes are nationally recognized as America’s Byways. In 2021, the Hocking Hills Scenic Byway was added to the list of America’s Byways by the Federal Highway Administration. Ohio’s Historic National Road is also an All American Road. These designations along with the Ohio Byways Program promote regional toursim and enhance economic development.

In June 2018, the Ohio legislature designated the month of May as “Drive Ohio Byways Month”. To help celebrate the event, ODOT developed 27 electronic Story Map Tours that show the locations of unique sites along each of the 27 byways and serve as a convenient travel guide for each route.

Find more information about Ohio’s Byways and explore the Ohio Byways Story Map Tours online at www.ohiobyways.com.

Population by County

Ohio is 35th in the nation in size, and 7th in the nation in population.

Acknowledgments

Unless otherwise noted, all of the data collected and printed in this 2022 Facts Book are the results of the efforts of Division of Planning staff.

To learn about the ODOT Technical Services Office, visit the website: transportation.ohio.gov/techserv