The Ohio Department of Transportation’s Transportation Review Advisory Council has approved $123.1 million for 11 major transportation projects in eight counties over the next four years, including money for rail infrastructure work in Cuyahoga County.
The package includes $103.6 million for construction on six projects placed in Tier I, the group recommended for construction during the upcoming four-year period. Among those is $10 million in fiscal year 2027 for light-rail track reconstruction by the Greater Cleveland Rapid Transit Authority.
“The demand for major infrastructure projects that improve safety, enhance connections, and fuel economic development continues to grow across the state,” ODOT Director Pamela Boratyn said in a release. “The projects approved by the TRAC today align with ODOT’s mission to strengthen local, regional, and national mobility.”
TRAC operates on an annual application cycle. After applications are reviewed, members vote on a Major New Construction Program List that outlines funding commitments for phases such as preliminary engineering, detailed design, right-of-way acquisition, and project construction.
Projects that receive commitments are placed into three tiers based on their progress. Tier I projects are considered ready for construction in the near term.
Tier II projects are recommended for additional work, including environmental review, design or right-of-way development, before they can move to construction. Tier III projects include multi-phase efforts that previously received Tier I construction funding and are carried in a long-range funding plan as later phases advance.
TRAC was established in 1997 under Ohio law to help ODOT develop and modify a project selection process for approving funding tied to the state’s Major New Capacity Program. A total of 27 projects applied for funding in this cycle.
