U.S. 24 widening project timeline

The following are some significant events related to the U.S. 24 widening project that connects Fort Wayne with Toledo.

August 1990 – The U.S. 24 Improvement Committee which was formed in 1989 becomes the Fort to Port Improvement Organization which is open to groups instead of individuals.  That same month an awareness festival is held in Defiance County, Ohio to bring attention to the need for improvements to the 113-mile stretch of highway.   Ohio Highway Patrol statistics showed that 26 people died in over 1,000 traffic accidents between 1985 and 1989 in the four Ohio counties US. 24 passes through.

1992 – Truck traffic increases on U.S. 24 following its connection with I-469 in Allen County.

1994 – A study commissioned by the Indiana and Ohio departments of transportation concludes that U.S. 24 should be widened to a four lane freeway between Waterville, Ohio just south of Toledo and New Haven.  The project is estimated to cost in excess of $400 million.

1997 – The Fort to Port Improvement Organization meets with Ohio Department of Transportation officials in an attempt to convince them to re-evaluate the improvement project which is not a priority based on ODOT’s ranking system.  The argument of the group is that the improvement would not only improve safety, but would bring investment dollars to the state.

1999 – Public hearings are held to get input on proposed corridors for an improved U.S. 24 between New Haven and Defiance.  Many residents are concerned about the project splitting up existing farmland.

2003 – Ohio Governor Bob Taft unveils his “Jobs and Progress Plan” which is intended to rebuild the state’s highway system over the course of 10-years.  Improvements to U.S. 24 are included in that plan.

2006 – Governor Taft breaks ground on the first Fort to Port projects, a 2.2 mile stretch of U.S. 24 from State Route 424 in Defiance County to just east of State Route 15 west of Defiance.  Work on other sections begins in subsequent years.

August 2012 – The final stretch of the improvement project in Ohio is opened to traffic.  The 24-mile long stretch of highway travels from the north side of Waterville to the U.S. 24 bypass in Napoleon.

November 14, 2012 – A ribbon cutting is held for the completion of the final section of U.S. 24 in Indiana which stretches from I-469 to the Ohio border.