WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11) commends Ohio Governor John Kasich and the Ohio Department of Transportation for announcing today a pilot project to increase Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) participation in the $267 million dollar Opportunity Corridor Project in Cleveland.  Congresswoman Fudge worked with the Kasich Administration and ODOT and supported efforts to obtain a pilot waiver from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to restructure the DBE program.

Currently, ODOT DBE awards have not reflected the demographic make-up of Cleveland where many major construction projects have occurred. As an example, on the InnerBelt Phase One Project,  six percent of contracts went to firms owned by African Americans and three percent to Hispanic-owned firms while recent Census data shows the population of the City of Cleveland is 53percent African-American and 10 percent Hispanic.

“I applaud Governor Kasich and state officials who have worked with me to take the first step in establishing greater equity and access for families in the 11^th Congressional District of Ohio.  Through the pilot initiative to subdivide DBE awards and increase training and job opportunities for minorities in the Opportunity Corridor Project, the Governor and ODOT have demonstrated a commitment to better serve Cleveland residents,” said Congresswoman Fudge.

“Clearly, without this commitment by the state, equitable opportunities to obtain jobs and contracts would continue to bypass minority residents on significant construction projects taking place in the heart of their own community. I appreciate the state’s innovative initiative for Opportunity Corridor and I encourage the Federal Highway Administration to look favorably on the state’s DBE waiver request for future projects in Cuyahoga County.”

By connecting I-490/I-77 to University Circle in Cleveland, the Opportunity Corridor Project will enhance transportation and support economic development in University Circle and the area of Cleveland known as “the Forgotten Triangle”, a name descriptive of the lack of economic investment.

Click hereto see an ODOT fact sheet on Opportunity Corridor

Click hereto see a copy of Rep. Fudge’s letter in support of the DBE waiver.

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