Travelers entering the Ohio Turnpike at certain interchanges no longer have to wait for a gate to rise, but the turnpike wants them still to slow down when passing through those toll-plaza lanes.
The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission announced last week that gates were being removed from entrance lanes at the State Rt. 2/Toledo Airport and the I-280 and State Rt. 420/Stony Ridge interchanges in metro Toledo and the I-480 and I-77 interchanges near Cleveland.
Drivers still paying conventional tolls rather than using E-ZPass will still need to stop to get entry tickets, however, and the turnpike commission cautioned everyone, even those paying electronically, to obey the 10-mph speed limit through the tollbooth lanes for their own safety and for that of turnpike employees working in the plazas.
Eventually, barrier gates will be removed from the entrance lanes at all turnpike toll plazas and E-ZPass Only exit lanes. But the latter will only occur, turnpike spokesman Chuck Cyrill said, when enforcement cameras for electronic tolling are activated next year.
That’s also when express lanes for toll-tag users will open at four mainline toll plazas being built as part of the turnpike’s toll modernization campaign. Toll collection will cease at the Delta/Lyons, Wauseon, Archbold/Fayette, and Bryan/Montpelier interchanges as well as several at the turnpike’s far eastern end.
Revamping its toll-collection system is expected to cost the turnpike $232 million, but it also expects to save $257 million in operating costs over the next 30 years.
Similar open-road tolling has been in use for years on many other toll roads. Unlike a growing number of toll roads and bridges elsewhere, though, the Ohio Turnpike will continue to accept cash and credit-card toll payment.
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With Norfolk Southern doing crossing repairs at several streets along its track between Toledo and Waterville, be alert to the potential for other streets on this line being closed in the near future for similar work. Glanzman Road in South Toledo is closed through Wednesday and both Conant and Kingsbury streets in Maumee are closed for at least a few days this week.
Other streets this track crosses at grade include Ford and Cass roads near downtown Maumee; Key Street and Michigan Avenue in northeastern Maumee, and Green Valley Drive and Byrne Road in South Toledo.
I-75 (Ohio): Reduced to two lanes northbound between Wales Road in Northwood and Dorr Street in Toledo and southbound from Dorr to Glenwood Road in Rossford for reconstruction and widening. South Avenue is closed between the southbound I-75 exit ramp and Kuhlman Drive through Friday (9/2). The northbound I-75 exit and entrance at Miami Street are closed until late October. Ramp detours, some quite long, are posted and additional closings are possible at night and on weekends.
I-75 (Mich.): Left lane closed both ways between Exit 5 (Erie Road) and Exit 11 (LaPlaisance Road) for pavement and shoulder repair, crossover construction, and other preparations for an upcoming reconstruction project. Lane and ramp closings also near the Newport Road interchange just north of I-275 for bridge replacement and other work.
I-280: Variable lane closings this week between State Rt. 2 (Navarre) and I-75 for lane stripe painting.
I-475/U.S. 23, Perrysburg-Holland Road: Traffic shift on the southbound side between State Rt. 2 (Airport) and U.S. 24 for widening and interchange construction at U.S. 20A.. Lane closings also are possible on I-475 near the Perrysburg-Holland Road bridge, which is closed for replacement until mid-September. Perrysburg-Holland is detoured via Holland-Sylvania and Airport Highway.
I-475/U.S. 23: Variable nighttime (9 p.m. to 6 a.m.) lane and ramp closings on I-475 between Corey Road and Central Avenue and on U.S. 23 between I-475 and the Michigan border for pavement repairs.
Ohio Turnpike (I-80/90): Reconstruction in western Williams County reduces eastbound traffic to one lane for five miles east of the Westgate tolls; two westbound lanes are maintained. Lanes closed between the Stony Ridge (I-280) and Elmore interchanges for resurfacing. Lane shifts or closings also possible near the new Swanton toll plaza.
U.S. 20 (Conant): Closed at the Norfolk Southern crossing just west of downtown Maumee for railroad repair. Detour via Illinois Avenue (U.S. 20A), Ford Street, and Dussel Drive.
U.S. 23 (Mich.) Nighttime lane closings north of Dundee for bridge work at Milwaukee Road.
U.S. 24: Lane closings in Paulding and Defiance counties for slope repair and pavement patching; the westbound exit at Baltimore Street in Defiance also is closed.
U.S. 224: Closed at State Rt. 587 in New Riegel, Seneca County, for roundabout construction at the intersection through Wednesday. Use U.S. 23 and State Rt. 18 instead. The Route 587 detour follows State Rts. 18 and 53.
State Rt. 2: Lanes closed in Oregon (Navarre Avenue) at Coy Road, which also is closed on both sides of the intersection, for gas main replacement through September. Lanes closed for pavement repair in the Port Clinton area through Wednesday.
State Rt. 25 (Anthony Wayne Trail): Reduced to one lane each way between Glendale and Detroit avenues for reconstruction. Sherwood or Copland may be closed during daytime hours for intersection paving.
State Rt. 25: Closed to through traffic between U.S. 6 and Cygnet Road for reconstruction. The specific piece of highway closed between those junctions will vary as work progresses. Use I-75 and U.S. 6 instead.
State Rt. 65: Closed between Roachton and Hull Prairie roads in Perrysburg and Perrysburg Township until mid-November for replacement of a pump station. Detour via Roachton and Hull Prairie.
State Rt. 184 (Alexis): Lane closings at Benore/Enterprise for bridge replacement through September. Enterprise is closed at Alexis.
State Rt. 235: Closed just south of State Rt. 281 in Wood County for two bridge replacements through September. Detour via State Rts. 281, 65, and 18.
State Rt. 295: Closed at Neapolis-Waterville Road for roundabout construction. Detour via State Rt. 64 and U.S. 24.
First Published August 28, 2022, 8:07 p.m.
