Senator urges budget amendment to build connector from U.S. 23 to I‑71/I‑75, says more studies won’t solve congestion

Senator Paula Hicks‑Hudson urged the Ohio Senate Transportation Committee to approve an amendment to House Bill 54 that would move from study to construction planning for a new highway connector between U.S. Route 23 and the interstate system, saying northwest Ohio can no longer wait.

Hicks‑Hudson told the committee she and regional partners want a connection from Route 23 — potentially using State Route 229 — to I‑71 (and by extension I‑75) to relieve congestion, speed freight movement to the Port of Toledo and support regional economic development. "We don't need another study," she said. "If it's not now, then when?"

Why it matters: Hicks‑Hudson framed the connector as a state‑level economic and safety issue, not a partisan one, citing freight traffic to and from the Port of Toledo and multiple past studies that she…