In 1997 the Ohio Revised Code established the Transportation Review Advisory Council (TRAC) to guide the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) in selecting significant transportation improvements for Major New Construction Funding. Projects submitted to TRAC are typically major regional investments costing $5 million or more. TRAC evaluates sponsor applications for major investments and selects those that fulfill a variety of critieria, including bolstering economic development, reducing traffic congestion and meeting mobility needs of citizens. New roads, interchanges and freeway lanes will be constructed in Northeast Ohio in the near future as a result from TRAC’s review and funding allocation. (View 2006 TRAC Booklet or previous Northeast Ohio TRAC selections by year.)

In our region, Brookpark Road (SR-17) is being relocated to clear the way for airport expansion. A new access road for truck traffic is being constructed from West 3rd Street in Cleveland to the Cleveland/Cuyahoga County Port Authority's freight terminal. In Lorain County, an intermodal transportation/entertainment center is being constructed in Lorain along the banks of the Black River on a site formerly owned by LTV Steel. These projects-some of the earliest recipients of Major New Construction funding-are currently under construction.

Although most projects submitted to TRAC propose adding capacity to roadway or transit networks, not all do. Among past project requests is a GCRTA-sponsored proposal to construct 5 transit centers in Cuyahoga County. Transit centers support public use of buses, which in turn reduces automobile capacity on the region's roadways.

NOACA staff, committees and Governing Board annually review and score Northeast Ohio’s project proposals prior to TRAC evaluation in order to prioritize the region’s transportation investments. The NOACA scoring and ranking process is detailed in the Regional Transportation Investment Policy. NOACA presents the list to TRAC, thereby identifying Northeast Ohio’s priority investments.