GALLIA COUNTY — The Ohio Department of Transportation Office of Jobs and Commerce has awarded the Gallia County Transportation Improvement District (Gallia TID) two grants totaling $279,000.

The grant will be used for road improvement projects submitted by the Gallia County Engineer’s Office and the Gallia TID committee. Of the four projects submitted, the two selected include Hannan Trace Road improvements and McCormick Road safety improvements.

The Hannan Trace Improvement Project received $228,000 and the McCormick Safety Improvement Project received $51,000.

The U.S. 35/Ohio 7 Connector and Farm Road were the two projects not receiving grants funds during this cycle.

“Gallia County spent [no money] in creating a TID and received $279,000 in the first year; that’s what I call a great return on investment,” said Gallia County Engineer and Gallia TID Chairman, Brett Boothe. “With grant funds drying up or becoming more competitive with the economic downturn, the need for new grant opportunities is greater than ever.”

The TIDs statewide submitted project applications requesting funds totaling $6.3 million of the available $3.5 million dollars in funds for fiscal year 2013.

The Hannan Trace Improvement Road Improvement Project includes the resurfacing of approximately 30 miles of county roads and the widening of narrow areas of Hannan Trace from Ohio 775 to Ohio 790. The estimated construction cost is $2.26 million. In order to fund this project, Boothe’s office secured a grant from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for $1.8 million (80 percent), TID funds will account for $228,000 (10 percent), and plans are under way to secure additional grant dollars for the remaining 10 percent of the project.

The bid date for the Hannan Trace Project will be next fall with completion expected in 2014.

The McCormick Safety Improvements Project includes widening and resurfacing from Ohio 588 to Ohio 160. The estimated construction cost is $453,000. Funding for this project includes a secured grant from FHWA for $362,400 (80 percent), TID funds equalling $51,000 (10 percent), and plans to secure additional grant dollars for the remaining 10 percent of the project.

The bid date for the McCormick Road project will be in 2016.

The state legislature passed legislation a few year ago to permit the creation of transportation improvement districts throughout the state. The TID legislation included funds to be awarded to high ranking TID projects. ODOT Jobs and Commerce disperses grants based on a ranking system of all TID grant applications throughout the state dealing with transportation projects relating to safety, economic development, capacity or preservation. The state legislation permits grants of 10 percent up to $250,000 per project. The Gallia County Transportation Improvement District was created in July 2012.