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 said have not produced action. Her testimony was presented during the committee's fifth informal hearing on House Bill 54, the transportation budget for fiscal years 2026–27.

Hicks‑Hudson said the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) strategic transportation development and analysis report — and an appendix focused on Toledo‑to‑Columbus — does not accurately represent traffic and development on Route 23 in northwest Ohio. She told the committee that 11 separate studies have examined the corridor and that a past discussion cited 40 traffic signals as an impediment; the most recent report she showed reduces that count to 39 signals. "That's not sufficient for us here and for us to be forward thinking," she said.

Committee members pressed for specifics. Ranking Member Antonio asked whether the amendment would carry a fiscal impact; Hicks‑Hudson said the goal is to fund a plan to build, not fund an additional study, and that exact cost figures were not yet available. Senator Reineke and other members asked who in northwest Ohio supports the request; Hicks‑Hudson listed local and regional organizations backing the proposal, including the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments and several chambers and economic development organizations.

Hicks‑Hudson also raised the report's late submission, saying the appendix that included a Toledo‑to‑Columbus analysis was delivered 45 days past the statutory deadline. Chair Patton noted the irony given prior testimony about late reports from ODOT.

What was requested and what remains undecided: Hicks‑Hudson asked to submit an amendment to House Bill 54 to finance a plan — and eventual construction steps — for a connector, naming State Route 229 (and alternatively State Route 529) as possible corridors. She did not present cost estimates at the hearing and said specific routing and partnering details remain to be worked out with ODOT, the Ohio Turnpike Commission and local governments.

No formal committee vote or decision on the amendment was recorded at the hearing. The testimony concluded with an agreement to provide committee members with the supporting report and maps that Hicks‑Hudson referenced.

Ending: Hicks‑Hudson said the proposal is supported across the northwest Ohio delegation present and emphasized the economic stakes for the region: "This is a State of Ohio issue." The committee did not take formal action during the hearing; members asked for the materials Hicks‑Hudson cited, which she agreed to provide.