COLUMBUS — Drivers entering Ohio are being welcomed with signs bearing the state’s new branding and slogan “Ohio, The Heart of it All.”

The signs are replacing older and outdated signs at major entry points to the state. The goal is to have all the new signs installed by December.

Gov. Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Development announced the reimagined “Ohio, the Heart of it All” brand on May 10, during Ohio Tourism Day. The tagline was previously the state’s tourism slogan between 1984 and 2001.

In total, 36 new signs were made by the Ohio Department of Transportation Sign Shop in Columbus.

“Each letter, each element is put on by hand by our employees, piece-by-piece, letter-by-letter,” said Joshua Wilson, ODOT’s sign shop administrator. The ODOT Sign Shop manufactures nearly 100,000 signs each year.

ODOT crews will install some of these new welcome signs, while contractors will install others.

The largest signs, measuring more than 40 feet wide, will be hung on the arch that spans I-70 at the Indiana line in Preble County.

The total cost of the signs is $59,990. 

First Published October 16, 2023, 7:07 p.m.