He said he would also like to expand FastLane usage in other manners, which might include using the electronic collection to pay parking fees and other expenses. "If the discount can be sustained, I think it ought to be sustained," Patrick said. Patrick said that discount, too, must withstand an economic test. The discount costs the state $12.2 million annually in lost revenue, but shaves 25 cents off the $1 toll on the Turnpike extension in Boston, and 50 cents off the $3 toll at the Ted Williams and Sumner tunnels. The board also said it must ensure it has the funding to rebuild roads where toll plazas are removed.Īlso Wednesday, the board voted to extend the FastLane electronic toll collection discount - slated to expire as part of the toll removal plan. State officials are counting on revenue from that plaza to help pay bonds and make up money lost from the toll removal. That would include the one in Westborough. Since the plan to remove the tolls has moved forward, board members learned federal highway officials won't accept any service plaza built after 1960. Since 2015, FastLane clients have reported impacts of 1,880 jobs, $343 million in sales, and $33.9 million in cost savings.Still, at its meeting later Wednesday, the board of the Turnpike Authority voted unanimously in favor of a road map to completing the removal of the western tolls, but it was clear many hurdles remained before that plan could be enacted.įor example, the board must get the Federal Highway Administration to accept the road into the interstate system. FastLane helps manufacturers to generate business results and thrive in today’s technology-driven economy. Manufacturers interested in participating in the PPE effort can self-nominate at the Ohio Manufacturing Alliance COVID-19 website, .įastLane, a program under the Manufacturing Technologies Solutions Accelerator office in the University of Dayton Research Institute, comprises a team of advisors delivering comprehensive solutions to fuel growth and advance U.S.
We are also working with Kettering Health Network and Dayton Children’s.” “Premier Health provided essential feedback to move production forward. “Our guidance is coming from all three local hospital networks,” Ratermann said. “The challenges associated with accomplishing high-volume production in a few days are daunting, but the major issue has been in the sourcing of raw materials, finding acceptable alternatives and obtaining large quantities of the materials quickly.”įastLane team members communicated with local hospitals to learn what their most pressing PPE needs would be, then secured sample prototypes of substitute products for approval. The FastLane team has supported this effort by finding material suppliers and assisting with product design.
“Our manufacturers have been busy, rapidly doing the hard work required to transform production lines, design products and source materials from supply chains to make the PPE that is critical to keeping our front line workers safe. The goal is to also secure additional materials and engage more manufacturers in the production of isolation gowns and masks, N95 respirators, gloves, hand sanitizer and swabs, Ratermann said. With materials provided by the state of Ohio, production of these face shields will be the first PPE to be produced under the allied effort.
Many of the manufacturers are in the Dayton region. The OMAFC-formed last week and comprising the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA), Ohio Hospital Association (OHA), Ohio Manufacturing Extension Program (Ohio MEP), nursing homes and JobsOhio-put out a call to manufacturers for support in producing PPE for healthcare workers, and within a week, more than 1,400 manufacturers across the state stepped up to help, said FastLane director Phil Ratermann. The local effort is being coordinated by FastLane, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) for West Central Ohio, housed within the University of Dayton Research Institute. In an initial effort under the movement, four Ohio companies that produce tools and molds, including Trifecta Tool and Engineering in Kettering, are making molds for face shields, and four additional companies, including Evenflo in Piqua, will begin mass production of the face shields next week-with a goal of producing 650,000 shields across Ohio within four weeks. In response to the challenge of keeping Ohio’s healthcare workers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic the Ohio Manufacturing Alliance to Fight COVID-19 (OMAFC) will engage Ohio manufacturers to produce desperately needed personal protective equipment (PPE).