'30 by 30.' Stark officials not deterred by study opposed to U.S. 30 expressway extension

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03-03-2025

Stark County officials say a state report recommending against extending the four-lane U.S. Route 30 expressway from Canton to eastern Ohio will not deter them from seeking funding from investors, the state and federal government for what could be a $1 billion project.
The Ohio Department of Transportation released its Strategic Transportation and Development Analysis last month, examining population trends, economic development, the state's transportation network and how the state's investments in roads could fuel economic growth the next 10, 20 and 30 years.
The 400-page report does not support extending the Route 30 expressway to state Route 11.
"This conclusion considers the low congestion risks, high costs for project development and construction, and feasibility constraints associated with such alignments," the report says. "However, ODOT will continue to monitor US30 and SR11 for development pressures from the Canton/Youngstown areas to West Virginia and Pennsylvania to identify and address emerging issues."
Local government and business leaders have been talking for years about extending the four-lane highway from Canton to Route 11 near Lisbon in Columbiana County. The four-lane section ends at Canton and turns into a two-lane winding road.
The report says the state's road system from Canton to the Ohio River "is not considered a factor constraining economic growth and opportunity. ... The analysis acknowledges that improvement to these corridors, particularly US30, as a means to attract economic development to the region involves other significant risks, depending on the industry, given the lack of ready sites, utility infrastructure, and a local and skilled workforce."
The Canton metropolitan area — which covers Stark and Carroll counties — was the only metro area in Ohio that did not grow in gross domestic product adjusted for inflation from 2017 to 2022, a period where the area lost about 3,000 residents, the study says.
"Once the home of Hoover vacuum cleaners, which moved its production elsewhere, the Canton metropolitan area continues to retain some of its manufacturing base and has evolved a stronger retail sector," the study said.
The report projects that Stark County will lose 4% of its population or about 15,000 people through 2050.
Stark County Commissioner Richard Regula, a longtime proponent of extending the Route 30 expressway, said the study has not changed plans, and advocates will continue to seek money from investors, the state and the federal government to help fund the extension.
"We're continuing to move forward. We're not looking back and we're not being deterred by one study that was done by a group of consultants," he said.
State Sen. Jane Timken, R-Jackson Township, said the Ohio General Assembly will over the next several months work on the state's transportation budget. And it will become clear how much funding would be available for state projects.
'For me, at the end of the day, this is a public safety and economic development issue and important to our district," she said.
Jeff Dafler, president and CEO of the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce, said a single report shouldn't dissuade the community from pursuing the extension.
He also dismissed the ODOT study's depiction of Stark County as an area that will lose more population with a history of losing high-paying manufacturing jobs.
'I'm bullish on Stark County. I think the growth prospects for this region are significant, and I believe momentum is building. And I think we have to look at Route 30 as an investment in our future that will drive additional growth in our region," Dafler said. 'We are absolutely not giving up. ... We have to keep at it because it's important for the ongoing growth and development of Stark County and the surrounding areas.'
ODOT spokesman Matt Bruning wrote in an email that the study is just one of many tools ODOT uses to prioritize projects.
He said ultimately the Transportation Review Advisory Council decides the priorities for the state's major, new-capacity projects. He said ODOT would look at projects to address curvy and hilly roads on the current two-lane Route 30 segment from East Canton to Minerva.
"It would not be fair to say, for example, that if a project wasn't identified in the study that it isn't going to happen," he wrote. "We will still invest in safety projects and maintenance projects, many of which weren't identified in the study."
Regula said he met recently with representatives of Optimus, a company based in Austin, Texas, seeking locations for data centers near energy sources such as the natural gas and oil of the Utica Shale.
He said power lines, fiber optic networks, water lines, gas lines and other infrastructure could be built in the right of way alongside an extended Route 30 expressway.
Regula has argued for years that the corridor's proximity to Shells' petrochemical complex in western Pennsylvania and the Ohio River port in Wellsville would attract investment.
He said private investors have yet to commit to providing funding. But he anticipates the Stark-Carroll-Columbiana Regional Transportation Improvement Project might have to raise about 40% of the project costs from the private sector. The local group's short-term goal is to get Congress to renew an $18 million federal grant for the project that apparently expires in March.
Regula said he's scheduled to fly to Washington, D.C., to meet with officials of the U.S. Department of Transportation about that grant.
'If we can get the audience with the U.S. DOT, I'm going to explain to them what's happening with all the energy and the potential of power. This project if we get the (memorandum of understanding) with ODOT to buy the right of away, I think we can get some utility investment. Some fiber investments," he said. "We're continuing to move forward."
Regula said the death in November of state Sen. Kirk Schuring, a prominent champion of the project, did slow the momentum in obtaining a commitment for funding from investors.
"We're going to continue to move harder for it. My goal has always been 30 by 30 (U.S. 30 extension by 2030)," Regula said.
Reach Robert at [e-mail].
This article originally appeared on The Repository: ODOT analysis doesn't support U.S. 30 expressway extension