U.S. Route 33 becoming Smart Mobility Corridor
Drivers of the Otto autonomous truck that has been making trips along U.S. Route 33, including a couple of stops in Bellefontaine, are Walter Martin, left, and Matt Grigsby. Ohio Gov. John Kasich spoke Wednesday about the U.S. Route 33 Smart Mobility Corridor and other technological initiatives that are changing the Buckeye State’s reputation as a part of the Rust Belt to a key player in high tech industries. (EXAMINER PHOTOS | REUBEN MEES)
It’s not just the cars getting smarter these days, but the roads themselves and Logan County is now a significant hub of one such smart road, state government and industry leaders said at a Wednesday afternoon event in Dublin.
A 35-mile stretch of U.S. Route 33 from Dublin to East Liberty is being designated as a Smart Mobility Corridor and will be equipped with $15 million in fiber optic lines and sensors to collect real world data for automotive testing, research and manufacturing facilities.
Gov. John Kasich, the featured speaker at the event, said innovations like the smart road investments on U.S. Route 33 and the Ohio Turnpike are transforming Ohio’s reputation as a Rust Belt manufacturing state to a Midwestern technological hub.
“They say we are in the Rust Belt, but now they are following us. We are in the lead,” the governor said. “But you can’t take your foot off the gas either. This is how we move our state stronger and further into the future.”
Read complete story in Thursday’s Examiner.
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