Kasich Urges Spending Shift from Rail to Ohio Roads

Federal stimulus funds slated for high-speed rail in Ohio should be spent on highways instead, Republican candidate for governor John Kasich said.

Kasich said the $400 million provided to the state for a Cincinnati-to-Cleveland rail corridor should be reallocated to road improvements, the Toledo Blade reported.

Kasich, a former congressman, spoke with trucking executives and other business owners at the Walbridge headquarters of Nagle Cos., a trucking outfit, on Tuesday.

According to the Toledo Blade, truckers told Kasich of troubles doing business with the state, noting that many Ohio carriers register their trucks in other states.

As a congressman, Kasich helped lead the successful charge to abolish the Interstate Commerce Commission and further the economic deregulation of trucking.

The ICC closed its doors in 1995. Kasich left Congress in 2001.

-- Contact William B. Cassidy at wcassidy@joc.com.