By Wayne Allen
Recently JobsOhio, along with a number of supporting agencies, released their strategy to market available sites for development along the Ohio River. Local officials are pleased with the strategy because it highlights the area, and the strategy was unveiled at an Ohio Fright Conference in Cincinnati.
The strategy can be found on the website of the Appalachian Partnership for Economic Growth (APEG). The website includes GIS info, mileage marker info as well as other relevant information.
“The strategy is basically to provide as much info as possible on sites on the river, such as gas, sewer, water, sewer, fiber optic; spec. buildings, road and river access – try to quantify those sites which have those or a lot of those assets. Kentucky, Cincinnati, and Pennsylvania had representatives in the room and they all indicated that they do not have a site like that and immediately started discussing how to immolate it,” said Jason Kester, executive director of Southern Ohio Port Authority (SOPA).
According to apeg.com/Ohio-river-sites, The Ohio River, a major commercial waterway with 451 miles of Ohio shoreline, borders 11 counties. Its waters support electric generation plants and polymer manufacturing processes, and it provides a major thoroughfare for transporting coal. Steel and other bulk materials. Other facts listed on the website include, Ohio ranks 8th in the nation for tonnage of goods shipped by water based on usage of the Ohio River, The Ohio River is at less than 50 percent capacity for river traffic. The Ohio River moves more freight by tonnage, than the Panama Canal.
Kester said one of the highlights of the conference for him was a session focused on the Southern Ohio Veterans Memorial Highway. He said Lt. Governor Mary Taylor spoke at the conference about the Southern Ohio Veterans Memorial Highway.
As of Friday morning, there were four sites listed with two from Scioto County. The site lists a Norfolk Southern Haverhill 800 acre site with rail access and is close access to U.S. 52 in Haverhill. The site also lists an Ohio River and Rail Park on Hayport Road in Wheelersburg the site has 154 acres with close access to U.S. Route 52 and rail access.
For more information about the strategy, or to view available sites, visit apeg.com/Ohio-river-sites.
Wayne Allen can be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 1933 or on Twitter @WayneallenPDT
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