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Richland County, state announce $20 million Route 30 middle‑mile broadband project
Summary
County and state officials announced a Route 30 middle‑mile fiber build intended to close service gaps across a roughly 257‑mile corridor; Broadband Ohio said the contract is written for $20 million from the state general fund and construction is expected to take about two years after permitting and engineering are complete.
Richland County officials and state broadband leaders on Friday unveiled a plan to build middle‑mile fiber along Route 30, a roughly 257‑mile corridor they said will make it cheaper for local providers to bring high‑speed Internet to unserved areas.
"This project brings us another big step closer," said Peter Votenberg, chief of Broadband Ohio, describing the state program that helped secure funding and a contract for the route. Votenberg said the project is the result of more than three years of planning and public‑private partnership.
Commissioner Tony Vero said the county’s role was to rally local partners and to secure state backing. He thanked state and local lawmakers and said the project will provide redundancies for the Air National Guard’s cyberspace wing and improve regional competitiveness.
Broadband Ohio said a $20,000,000 line item in the state general fund is intended to cover the contract for the build, while acknowledging the total cost of the full build will exceed that amount and will require private and institutional investment. "The contract is for the full length for the $20,000,000," Votenberg said, adding that permitting and final engineering remain before construction can begin.
Officials said three proposals were received in response to the RFP process and that the winning bidder has a signed contract; they declined to provide a construction start date, saying that shovels would go in the ground after permitting and engineering are complete. Broadband Ohio estimated two years for construction from the moment work actually begins.
The presentation included representatives of OARnet and CNI, which described plans to build much of the route underground and to use Ohio‑based construction partners. No formal vote or ordinance was recorded in the public remarks; the event was a presentation and media announcement.
