Congressman Taylor Leads Ohio Delegation in Letter of Support for I-73 Corridor

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Dave Taylor (OH-02) led the majority of the Ohio delegation in a bipartisan, bicameral letter to Secretary Duffy of the Department of Transportation supporting a feasibility study of an Interstate 73 (I-73) corridor spanning from Toledo to Chesapeake, Ohio. This interstate would promote connectivity, safety, and economic growth throughout Ohio’s southern region. Senator Bernie Moreno (R-OH), Senator Jon Husted (R-OH), and Representatives Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Robert Latta (OH-05), Jim Jordan (OH-04), Joyce Beatty (OH-03), Mike Carey (OH-15), Greg Landsman (OH-01), Michael Turner (OH-10), Shontel Brown (OH-11), Max Miller (OH-07), and Troy Balderson (OH-12) joined Congressman Taylor in this letter.

“For too long, southern Ohio has lacked a central interstate to facilitate safe and reliable transportation for local businesses, truckers carrying goods and materials, and rural patients seeking healthcare,” said Congressman Taylor. “An I-73 corridor would increase the United States’ and Ohio’s supply chain resilience, revitalize local family businesses, and bridge the gap between rural and urban communities. I’m proud to continue advocating for this potential corridor with my colleagues and urge Secretary Duffy to lend the assistance of the Department of Transportation to this critical project.”

The letter is available here.

Background

Congressman Taylor introduced H.Res. 608 on July 23, 2025, supporting a study on the development of an Interstate 73 (I-73) corridor spanning southern Ohio and recognizing the significant economic benefits it could bring to local businesses. The proposed interstate would largely follow State Highway 23, running south from Toledo, through Columbus, and down to the Kentucky/West Virginia border.

With a leading defense technology company building an advanced manufacturing facility near Columbus, a growing uranium enrichment site in Piketon, and countless local businesses growing locally, a central corridor is needed in southern Ohio to support regional economic growth. Workers need a reliable thoroughfare to commute to work, and growing industries rely on a central road to transport goods and services to their customers. An I-73 corridor would provide Appalachian family businesses with the long-overdue tools they need to succeed, reinvigorating local main streets by connecting small businesses with the modern economy.

Specifically, the resolution:

• Recognizes the importance of the Interstate Highway System;
• Recognizes the economic boost and increased national security that an interstate could provide to the region; and
• Supports the planning, designing, and development of an interstate in southern Ohio heading south from Columbus.

The full text of the resolution is available here.

Congressman Taylor spoke with Department of Transportation Secretary Duffy in a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing about this potential corridor on July 16, 2025. He emphasized the history of urban areas being prioritized over rural regions in receiving federal dollars for critical infrastructure projects, leaving communities like those in southern Ohio without sufficient resources to fund infrastructure to support local economic growth.

Secretary Duffy expressed his support for collaborating with the local community and elected officials to share information and data to inform a decision regarding a potential I-73 Corridor.

Project background

In January of 2022, the Ohio State Legislature passed a resolution authorizing a study on the potential development of an Interstate 73 (I-73) corridor running from Toledo, Ohio, to Chesapeake, Ohio, primarily along U.S. Route 23. This study was meant to assess the impacts of a potential interstate on each surrounding county and to gather comprehensive data with which future investment decisions could be made.

In 2025, a Strategic Transportation Development Analysis was released by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) outlining the projected economic development, transportation systems, and travel needs of the state for the coming decades. Included in this study was an evaluation of U.S. 23 running from Toledo to Columbus and from Columbus to the Kentucky/West Virginia border, this route being one of Ohio’s priority corridors.

As a result of this study, ODOT issued a recommendation for a feasibility analysis to be conducted on the development of the U.S. 23 from I-270 to just south of Circleville, Ohio. The feasibility study on a potential I-73 corridor will analyze a similar area to the one studied by ODOT’s Development Analysis, gathering additional data to inform a future decision on the development of an I-73 corridor. The feasibility study would include a capacity analysis, access management, environmental and community impact assessments, economic impact analysis, cost-benefit analysis, and preliminary design concepts. This study is expected to be completed by December 2026. More information about this study is available here.