DOWNTOWN TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - It’s a new trend throughout the country: Speed limit signs with numbers that can change at the touch of a button.
Maybe you've noticed Ohio now has some speed limit signs where the numbers are electronic.
Here in Toledo, there's some on I-75 as you pass through downtown.
“They’re electronic, so it can change, you know, even from your morning commute to your afternoon commute," ODOT Spokesperson, Rebecca Dangelo said.
Variable speed limit signs are used in Ohio for two reasons.
The first is to drop the speed limit if there's inclement weather. This kind of speed control is usually used in cities like Cleveland, where the Lake Effects snow can be intense, and whiteouts can happen quickly.
For example, ODOT has installed digital speed limit signs on I-90 in Lake County to combat pile-ups that have occurred time and again through that stretch of roadway. Having these signs allows administrators to evaluate conditions and change the signs with the push of a button from their desks.
Here in Toledo, the signs are used to protect road workers, including on the Turnpike.
“We don’t do variable speed limits like some of the ODOT roads, however, in our construction zones, we’re either 50 miles an hour or 60 miles an hour in those zones. Every place else on the roads is 70 miles an hour," Adam Greenslade, Director of Government Affairs, Marketing & Communications for the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission said.
There have been a handful of roadside tragedies locally, and keeping speeds lower in work zones is a must.
What the speed limit is set at can depend on the intensity of the project, and how dangerous it is for workers.
"A couple years ago we did nighttime resurfacing on I-475, and that was beneficial because when the workers were out there at night, we could drop the speeds, but then during the day, we didn't have to restrict traffic, and we could take them back to normal,” said Dangelo.
If you notice these signs, it's a good idea to make sure you're checking them.
It can become routine not to read the signs on roads you travel frequently, and more of these are coming in the future. In fact, some will be going up this summer on 75 from South Avenue to Buck Road.
At this time, neither the Turnpike Authority nor ODOT are planning to install these signs in mass amounts for weather purposes, but both organizations are watching studies on safety and are not ruling this out as an option for the future.
