Traveling this Labor Day weekend will have its fair share of troubles, as high gas prices will combine with construction to create headaches for drivers.
“It is what it is. We’re not going to stop,” Daniel Delgado said, on his way through Toledo to Canton on Thursday.
The high gas prices kept him from getting too many meals on his journey, he said, just after stopping for a quick pizza at the travel plaza on I-280.
Michael Mattioli was traveling from Wisconsin to Pittsburgh. He noticed the tolls on his drive, even more than gas prices.
“It cost me $50 to get this far,” Mr. Mattioli said. “That’s really a lot.”
Still, AAA reports that Ohio’s gas prices, as of Thursday afternoon, were below the national average. The average regular gallon of gas costs $2.36 in Ohio, compared with $2.45 nationwide.
Ohio’s gas price trend was the same Thursday in Toledo, according to ToledoBlade.com/gas.
As for the Toledo area’s road construction hot spots during the upcoming weekend, they will be much as they were for Memorial Day and Independence Day travelers.
I-75 widening continues between I-475 and I-280 in central and North Toledo, with the biggest potential problem spots being on southbound I-75 approaching I-280 and on northbound I-75 at the merge point with the ramp from eastbound I-475.
The southbound side has had recurring backups south of Ottawa River Road because of traffic merging from three lanes to two just before I-280 and then as drivers lane-jockey to get to the I-280 exit, which since late July has peeled from the right lane instead of the left.
The northbound side’s problem has been collisions involving merging traffic. The ramp from I-475 enters from the left and has minimal merging distance. Drivers on northbound I-75 should use the right lane whenever possible.
Travelers on the western half of the Ohio Turnpike will encounter lane closings near the I-280 interchange in Lake Township for repaving plus two six-mile work zones near Fremont and Bellevue where traffic is reduced from three lanes to two for roadway reconstruction.
And people traveling north on I-75 to reach metro Detroit or Canada will have to plan other ways to come back, as southbound I-75 remains closed to all traffic from Detroit down to Taylor, Mich., because of major bridge work at several locations.
A posted detour uses I-96 to I-275. Other routes, such as I-94 to U.S. 24, may be shorter, but are also vulnerable to congestion.
Weekend travelers to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as well as those heading home from longer trips, meanwhile, should plan around a complete closing of the Mackinac Bridge during the Annual Bridge Walk on Labor Day morning.
Unlike in past years, when two-way traffic was maintained on one side of the bridge, the Mackinac will be restricted to event-related buses and emergency vehicles only during the walk. All other traffic will be stopped at either end of the bridge from 6:30 a.m. until noon Monday.
The Mackinac Bridge Authority decided May 16 to suspend regular bridge traffic during the walk “citing safety and security recommendations by the Michigan State Police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security,” according to an authority statement.
Text alerts related to the walk and the bridge’s reopening thereafter may be obtained by messaging “mackinacbridgewalk2017” to 67283.
An estimated 30,000 to 60,000 people walk the Mackinac Bridge on Labor Day morning during an event that has been held annually since the bridge’s 1958 opening to traffic.
Staff writer Zack Lemon contributed to this report.
Contact David Patch at dpatch@theblade.com or 419-724-6094.
First Published August 31, 2017, 11:27 p.m.
