A Transportation Improvement District (TID) is a form of local government that strives to promote intergovernmental and public-private cooperation of transportation resources and investments.

Purpose

The TID program provides funding for transportation projects that promote economic development in terms of job creation, job retention, and private sector capital investment.

Funding

Ohio House Bill 74 Section 203.40 approved by the 134th Ohio General Assembly provides $4.5M in funding each fiscal year of the biennium. TID program funding can be used on all publicly owned roadways in Ohio. 

TIDs are permitted to submit multiple applications per funding round. The funding provided for each project is limited to $500,000 per fiscal year. Section 203.40 specifies that TIDs co-sponsoring a specific project may individually apply for up to $500,000 for that project. Co-sponsoring TIDs are registered TIDs that have adjacent county lines.

Funding is provided on a reimbursement basis, and successful grantees must enter into a written agreement with ODOT within 60 days of the award notification. Project costs must be incurred after the funding agreement has been fully executed to be eligible for reimbursement.

Eligibility

TID program funding can be used on all publicly owned roadways in Ohio. TIDs are permitted to submit multiple applications per funding round. TID program funding can be used for preliminary engineering, detailed design, right-of-way or construction of transportation improvements.”

TIDs must be registered with ODOT to apply for funding and meet the criteria established in House Bill 74 Section 203.40. TIDs must have a project or program of projects to meet the eligibility requirements for registration:

• The Transportation Improvement District, by a resolution or resolutions, designated a project or program of projects and facilitated, including in conjunction with and through other governmental agencies, funding for costs of a project or program of projects in an aggregate amount of not less than 15,000,000 from the commencement dates of the project or program of projects.
• The Transportation Improvement District has been designated, by a resolution or resolutions, a project or program of projects that has estimated aggregate costs in excess of $10,000,000 and the County Engineer of the county in which the Transportation Improvement District is located, has attested by a sworn affidavit that the costs of the project or program of projects exceeds $10,000,000 and that the Transportation Improvement District is facilitating a portion of funding for that project or program.

Please note, if a TID has previously submitted registration and received confirmation from ODOT, no further action is required.

Application Process

ODOT’S Office of Jobs & Commerce will open online applications at a date determined by the Director of Transportation. Registered TIDs will be notified of the application cycle dates. Applications will be reviewed and evaluated by a team of transportation and economic professionals. Applications will be scored as outlined in the TID program scoring guidelines.

Criteria

Applications will be reviewed and scored based on a 50-point scale under three primary categories

• Economic Development Factors: 22 points
• Transportation Factors: 11 points
• Project Funding Plan: 17 points

Project scoring is a tool to aid in project evaluation and selection. The review team will consider the context of each application individually. Program awards are not required to be distributed based on project score or ranking within the cohort of applications.

Go to TID Program Summary and Scoring Guidelines