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Residents unconvinced about benefits of a privatized Ohio Turnpike

Residents living near the Ohio Turnpike aren't convinced about the benefits state officials say would come by privatizing the toll road. The first public meeting about the plan came last night in Elyria, where Lorain County Commissioner Ted Kalo expressed concerns about increased tolls and sloppy maintenance. 

TK: This roadway is the best highway in the state of Ohio and our residents' livelihoods are depending on this operating--whether it's moving freight, steel, or auto, or moving agriculture from Indiana to Pennsylvania and all stops in between.

Cuyahoga County Executive Director Ed Fitzgerald suggests that state leaders are pushing too hard, too soon.

EF: What we don't we don't want to happen is to really have kind of a fire sale attitude where before we've even done the research they say 'Well yeah let's sell this off and we can make some quick cash.

Governor John Kasich supports the idea of leasing the turnpike as a way to generate some much needed revenue for the state.

A native of Chicago, naturalized citizen of Cincinnati and resident of Columbus, Alison attended Earlham College and the Ohio State University. She has equal passion for Midwest history, hockey and Slavic poetry.