There are no plans yet, but Governor John Kasich says he already knows how he wants to use the revenue that comes from the privatization or the lease of the Ohio Turnpike. Kasich told a crowd of transportation engineers at a conference in Columbus that he wants most of the money to be spent on communities and projects near the Turnpike -- and he says he wants some Turnpike money to be dedicated to fixing bridges and to support public transit.
He says, “Help the communities along the turnpike, fix the bridges, help the poor, the disabled, and the elderly, and spend at least half the money north of Route 30.”
Kasich said he’s not sure whether the state will privatize the Turnpike, lease it or sell bonds -- but he said the Turnpike is an “underutilized asset” and that the state needs to get more value out of it, and notes a financial advisor has been hired to put together the plan.