Gov. Ted Strickland tells ODOT to rethink Inner Belt Bridge bike lane

By Reginald Fields, The Plain Dealer

March 09, 2010, 7:27AM

John Kuntz, The Plain DealerGov. Ted Strickland has entered the fray over an extra multipurpose lane proposal for the Inner Belt Bridge. The governor wants the Ohio Department of Transportation to study whether such a lane is possible in the renovation of the bridge.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Gov. Ted Strickland has jumped into the fray over whether to add a bike lane to the planned Inner Belt Bridge project, ordering the transportation department to study whether such a multipurpose lane is even feasible.

The Ohio Department of Transportation has said it already studied whether to add a lane for bicyclists and pedestrians and had decided against it for various reasons -- cost, maintenance and user safety, among them.

"But at the direction of the governor, we will take a renewed look," said Scott Varner, ODOT spokesman.

What would potentially be the narrowest lane across the $450 million bridge has drawn the biggest debate for politicians.

ODOT has said $85 million in federal stimulus money has already been allocated for the program, based on an environmental impact statement that did not include a bike lane.

To go back now and ask the Federal Highway Administration to revise the statement could put Ohio's federal funding in jeopardy, ODOT has contended.

That did not sit well with U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who last month wrote the highway administration asking it to allow ODOT to resubmit the impact statement without threat of losing funding. ODOT, meanwhile, did not relent.

Then last Thursday, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown took a different approach, writing to Strickland and urging the governor to get involved and ensure ODOT includes a multipurpose route across the bridge.

"It would be penny-wise and pound-foolish to build this bridge with only cars and trucks in mind," Brown wrote to Strickland.

"It is imperative that when construction begins on the new Inner Belt, a bike and pedestrian path is included," Brown said.

Bike enthusiasts have also been critical of the governor for talking about leading Ohio's emergence into a green economy but staying silent on a chance to support bicycling over environment-choking cars and trucks.

On Friday, Strickland's office asked ODOT to study whether a bike lane is possible, said the governor's spokeswoman Amanda Wurst. But the governor does not yet share Brown and Kucinich's conclusion that such a lane must be included.

Neither Wurst or Varner offered a time frame for when ODOT would complete its review.

ODOT is expected to choose the three design/build teams that will bid on the Inner Belt project on March 23 and award the contract in mid-September.