The study is being paid for through federal Statewide Research Planning money, TCC Director Scott Schmid said. The TCC board approved the study at Friday’s meeting. It doesn’t commit the organizations to partnering in the future, Schmid said.
RELATED: Clark County board approves South Limestone Street corridor study
“It’s strictly a feasibility study and hopefully we’ll have more information in March,” he said.
LUC was selected by the Ohio Department of Transportation in 2013 to participate in the Regional Transportation Planning Organization Pilot Program, which allowed the agency to perform transportation planning similar to metropolitan areas. The organization completed its first transportation plan for Logan and Champaign counties in 2015, according to its website.
Union county was not included because it’s in a different transporation area, Schmid said.
As LUC prepares to become a permanent transportation planning entity, it’s examining different ways to provide transportation planning, Schmid said. The organization asked the TCC to see if it would be interested in providing services, he said.
LUC typically has between three and four employees, Director Dave Gulden said.
“It’s come to a point where we need some outside assistance in terms of transportation planning expertise,” Gulden said. “TCC is definitley one option for us. We’ll get an idea of what it takes to partner with them.”
The TCC currently does planning for all of Clark County, including Springfield, New Carlisle and Enon.
Clark County shares several highways, including U.S. 68 and the Simon Kenton bike trail, he said.
“There’s a lot of natural connections,” Gulden said. “It more geographically makes sense.”
The LUC board is expected to make a decision by the middle of the year.
Regional collaboration between rural and metropolitan is a model being used throughout the state, Gulden said.
“It might make more sense to collaborate with them instead of hiring our own person,” he said.
About the Author