OHIO — The Ohio Department of Transportation is looking ahead to the future with Access Ohio 2050.
Access Ohio 2050 is a long-range plan looking ahead to Ohio's transportation needs for the next 25 years.
The purpose of the plan is to gather feedback on what the department should do when creating project plans.
ODOT creates one of these plans every five years to keep up with changes.
The feedback the department receives could also determine how money is divided up for projects.
Most of the feedback is focused on safety or congestion concerns. For this plan, ODOT is hearing about more people using active transportation, like biking or walking.
Additionally, the department is planning for more roads and addressing traffic flow concerns as more companies decide to relocate to Ohio.
"In Access Ohio 2040, I don't think anyone was talking abou a huge Intel plant potentially going into Licking County," Matt Bruning, ODOT's press secretary, said. "So, that is something that has changed. There are a lot of things that will change over the years, but something that won't is getting that feedback from people across the state. That's very important."
ODOT plans to make two stops in Northeast Ohio to showcase its plan.
An Access Ohio 2050 meeting will take place in Akron on Tuesday, October 21, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 50 South High Street.
A Cleveland meeting is planned for Wednesday, October 22, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Jerry Sue Thornton Center.
If you can't make either of those meetings, you can still share your thoughts. ODOT has an online survey where you can share your thoughts.
