Vinton County Residents Asked to Comment on OVRDC STBG Round 6 Projects

The Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission has opened a public comment period for Round 6 of its Surface Transportation Block Grant program for SFY27, and Vinton County residents are being asked to review and weigh in on proposed projects. The STBG program finances roadway work on federal-aid eligible routes in the OVRDC RTPO region and also allows certain exceptions such as bike and pedestrian projects, transit, safety, and non-highway freight projects.

Public input will factor into the final approval of projects proposed to receive allocations from Round 6 funding. Residents can review the list of proposed projects and direct any feedback, questions or comments to Jacob Taylor, Transportation Planning Specialist, by email or by calling the OVRDC office at 740-947-2853. The deadline to submit feedback is February 11, 2026, by 4:00 p.m.; additional comments will not be considered after that date and time.

Since the program began in 2022, OVRDC’s STBG capital program has invested a total of $4.95 million in transportation improvement projects across the region. The capital program summary chart lists projects already awarded funding and provides context on past investments; Round 6 will determine the next slate of allocations that could affect local routes, multimodal connections and safety measures in Vinton County.

For residents, the decision points are practical. Projects funded through STBG can change pavement conditions, drainage and signage on county and state routes eligible for federal aid. The exceptions allowed under the program mean sidewalks, bike lanes, public transit improvements, safety countermeasures and non-highway freight work also have a path to funding. Those project types can influence day-to-day travel, school bus routes, business deliveries and safer walking and biking corridors in small communities.

Submitting focused comments on how a proposed project would affect travel reliability, safety at key intersections, access for local farms and businesses, or non-vehicular connections will give planners concrete information to weigh during approval. The OVRDC process ties technical scoring and regional priorities to public feedback, so specificity in comments matters.

What happens next is procedural: staff will compile public input through the Feb. 11 deadline and that feedback will be used to help determine final approvals for Round 6 allocations. Vinton County residents who want a say in which transportation projects move forward should review the proposed project list now and contact Jacob Taylor at 740-947-2853 or by email before the deadline. Your comments will be part of the record that shapes how federal STBG dollars are spent in the region.