At a Glance: Ohio’s Transportation Budget, Fuel Taxes

The General Assembly has passed House Bill 338, which will boost Ohio’s highway and public transportation funds with $690 million provided by the new federal infrastructure law. Among other things, the plan authorizes the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to award design and build contracts of up to $1.5 billion for Cincinnati’s Brent Spence Bridge.

Earlier this month, the Ohio Legislative Service Commission — a non-partisan agency that provides the General Assembly with research and other services — published this fact sheet to summarize ODOT’s budget and construction highlights. The document shows Ohio’s gasoline tax is regionally competitive.

In 2019, Gov. DeWine signed House Bill 62, which increased the state’s gasoline tax by 10.5 cents a gallon, and the diesel fuel tax by 19 cents a gallon. The OMA opposed the bifurcation of the gasoline and diesel tax rates, which had been the same prior to the enactment of HB 62. 5/17/2022