Project Overview
| The Southern Ohio Veterans Memorial Highway (State Route 823) will be a new four-lane, limited-access divided highway around the City of Portsmouth in Scioto County, Ohio, approximately 90 miles south of Columbus. The southern limit of the roadway begins at US 52 just east of Portsmouth and curves north and west to US 23 in Lucasville. The 16-mile roadway includes 5 new interchanges, 19 bridges, and 16 ramps. The new highway is part of the Appalachian Development Highway System, a 3,090-mile network extending from Mississippi to New York, designated by the federal government in 1965. |
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In 2014, 89 percent of the network was complete or under construction. The purpose of the highway system has been to promote economic development in traditionally isolated and underserved areas of the Appalachian Region. These roads are intended to supplement the Interstate system, which does not serve the region well due to geographic constraints, and provide residents with access to greater economic opportunities.
The project is intended to improve travel, regional mobility, and safety by providing a route that bypasses approximately 26 miles of US 52 and US 23 through Portsmouth. Poor roadway alignments and congestion on the US 53 and US 23 route have contributed to widespread safety problems and above-average accident rates. With the bypass, numerous traffic signals, intersections and driveways will be avoided-relieving congestion and safety concerns. Traveling the new route will save an estimated 16 minutes per trip and offer opportunities for economic development and better access to employment sites. This will be particularly helpful in a region where unemployment is 50 percent higher than the rest of Ohio.
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is delivering the Southern Ohio Veterans Memorial Highway as a 39-year design-build-finance-operate-maintain public-private partnership (P3) with Portsmouth Gateway Group. The private developer will finance and build the project in return for milestone payments after meeting established construction goals and annual availability payments based on the quality and performance of the facility throughout the concession period.