Ohio Department of Transportation
Emblem of the Ohio Department of Transportation
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| Department overview | |
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| Formed | 1905 |
| Preceding department |
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| Jurisdiction | The state of Ohio |
| Headquarters | 1980 West Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio, United States 43223 |
| Employees | 6,031 (2006) |
| Annual budget | $2.898 billion US$ (2007) |
| Department executive |
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| Website | www |
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT, pronounced "oh-dot") is the administrative department of the Ohio state government responsible for developing and maintaining all state and federal roadways in the state of Ohio with exception of the Ohio Turnpike. In addition to highways, the department also helps develop public transportation and public aviation programs. ODOT is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. The Director of Transportation is part of the Governor's Cabinet.
ODOT has broken up the state of Ohio into 12 districts in order to facilitate regional development. Each district is responsible for the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of the state and federal highways in their region. The department employs over 6,000 people, and has an annual budget approaching $3 billion. It celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2005, and its 35th as the Ohio Department of Transportation in 2007.
The Ohio Department of Highways began operations on February 15, 1905. The original office consisted of 4 employees and an annual budget of $10,000. Its mission was to study the state roads and the science of road construction. The Department of Highways created the first Ohio State Highway Patrol in an attempt to reduce the amount of automobile-related fatalities in 1933. By the end of the year the first patrolmen were on duty.
On June 29, 1956 President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 into law, designating highways for each state to build with federal assistance to create the modern interstate highway system. One year later in 1957 The Ohio’s Department of Highways officially began construction on the 1,500 miles (2,400 km) of the interstate system designated for Ohio in the Federal Aid Highway Act. After one year of interstate construction Ohio was spending more on roadway construction than New York or California, and by 1962 had 684 miles (1,101 km) of interstates open. By the end of the decade, Ohio hit a milestone, with over 1,000 miles (1,600 km) completed.
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