Approximately $330,000 in state funds are slated to come into the county for transportation projects.

The Ohio Department of Transportation has approved sending the money to the newly created Transportation Improvement District. The TID applied for state funds for four projects with two getting the nod from ODOT.

The South Point Intermodal River Development project will get $250,000 that will be used for design and planning work, according to Dr. Bill Dingus, director of the Lawrence Economic Development Corp.

“It will help facilitate the development of the intermodal center,” Dingus said. “What you find behind these projects is there is so much administrative work, engineering, planning and design. Those funds often come out of the local pocket. The TID getting this grant will help to plan the intermodal center.”

The intermodal center is designed to bring large amounts of product into Lawrence County through water, rail and road and will be located at The Point industrial park.

The TID was formed in March and is the 10th in the state. It is comparable to a port authority where it can act as a financing tool to accelerate projects.

The other project that got funding is the replacement of the Lawrence Street Bridge, site of a single-vehicle fatality in September.

The ODOT will give $79,000 to the project that will cost a total of $950,000.

“It is to elevate that bridge five more feet so it doesn’t flood,” County Engineer Doug Cade said. “These funds will pay the local part.”

The remainder will come from the County Engineers’ Association local bridge replacement fund. Work is expected to start this summer.

“These are the first projects that the TID has undertaken and we are extremely pleased that we were able to submit so successful applications to kick start those projects,” Cade said.

The other projects the TID wanted funding was for the Ironton-Russell Bridge and the Chesapeake Bypass. ODOT said the county could re-apply for them next year.