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Transportation fuels Logan County’s economic engine
EDITOR’S NOTE: Inside today’s edition of the Examiner, readers will find our annual Progress Edition, which details the TRC project and some of the challenges to ready eastern Logan County for further development; expansions and growth at Honda and other local industries; a major undertaking by Mary Rutan Hospital; efforts by local school systems to prepare young minds for the local workforce; challenges tackled by local law enforcement and their continuation of some innovative programs; the return of the GOBA bicycle tour; and several community health and wellness initiatives.
Since its earliest days as a community that sprang up around the railroad industry, Logan County’s economy has been interwoven with the transportation industry.
Not surprisingly, with the fuel of two major grants opening the door to autonomous vehicle testing and millions of dollars in private investment by existing industries, transportation continues to be the engine that drives Logan County into the future.
(EXAMINER STAFF PHOTO)
Earlier this year, the Transportation Research Center at East Liberty learned it would receive funding for the first phase of its SMART Center — a $45 million project to allow for a nearly unlimited variety of autonomous vehicle tests at the site. That is coupled with a $15 million state investment to create a smart mobility corridor, including a 35-mile stretch of U.S. Route 33 between East Liberty and Dublin.
The changes could make eastern Logan County an attractive prospect for companies looking to develop technology to support driverless vehicles and position it to be a worldwide trendsetter in automotive testing for decades to come.
“We need to position the gateway that TRC is creating for all these companies that may wish to come to the area,” Logan County Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Paul Benedetti said. “Plans were drawn up some 40 years ago when TRC was first created for hotels, restaurants and retail, but it was never embraced or followed through with. We can’t allow this second opportunity to escape us.
“Naturally, the growth of Logan County will be along that corridor from Marysville to East Liberty. One of the challenges is putting public sewage in. If we want to support development, we need to get public water and sewage into the East Liberty area,” the economic development official said.
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