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Ohio Farm Bureau recently submitted new comments to the Ohio Department of Transportation regarding the U.S. 23 and Interstate 71 Connector Feasibility Study, reiterating the organization’s opposition to the project and calling for the state to prioritize investments in Ohio’s existing transportation system. 

Throughout the study, Ohio Farm Bureau has remained engaged, alongside the Marion and Morrow County Farm Bureaus, to ensure the voices of farmers, landowners and rural community members are heard. Earlier this year, the organization submitted formal comments outlining concerns with the project and encouraged members and impacted landowners to participate in the public comment process. Those comments emphasized that determining whether the project is “feasible” must go beyond whether the connector can be built and consider whether it should be built. 

Following ODOT’s recent selection of a preferred alternative route, Ohio Farm Bureau raised additional concerns about the project’s full cost to taxpayers and local communities, the loss of farmland and the additional development pressure a new roadway could bring to the area. The organization also noted that many of the potential benefits would be realized outside the communities that would bear the direct costs of the project. 

“This project asks farmers and rural communities to bear a significant cost for benefits that will largely be felt by those outside of the project area,” said Leah Curtis, associate general counsel for Ohio Farm Bureau. “We would also be remiss if we didn’t raise concerns related to the use of government resources for an unnecessary roadway when millions of dollars of existing road projects sit waiting. Economic development in this state for the benefit of all would be best helped by updating and fixing our current roadway infrastructure to reduce delays and closures.”

Ohio Farm Bureau appreciates the work ODOT has done throughout this process to keep stakeholders informed and answer any additional questions. Ohio Farm Bureau, however, remains opposed to the connector project, and will continue to ask the state to focus on the many road projects already needed to ensure the state’s transportation system is safe and efficient.

Read Ohio Farm Bureau’s comments

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Advocacy efforts like this are a part of Ohio Farm Bureau’s mission to ensure agriculture has a strong, unified voice when critical decisions are on the table. As a member-led organization, Ohio Farm Bureau works through advocacy initiatives, member engagement and leadership development to support the interests of rural communities and preserve farmland for the next generation. For more information on becoming a member, visit ohiofarmbureau.org.