(Toledo News Now) - The Ohio Department of Transportation's largest construction season ever in northwest Ohio began Monday.
Overnight crews closed several ramps along I-75 in Toledo and set up detours to redirect traffic. ODOT says things are off to a good start.
"So far the project seems to be going right on target," said ODOT Public Information Officer Theresa Pollick. "The main objective for this weekend was to get through the closure, make sure we had all the barricades up, and so far, traffic seems to be following the rules of the road."
It may sound like a nightmare for drivers, but ODOT says all the construction will help keep you safe.
Construction will start from the I-75/475 interchange and extend all the way to Lagrange.
The ramp from North Cove Boulevard to westbound I-475 and the ramp from eastbound I-475/northbound I-75 to Jeep Parkway will be permanently closed. Other major ramps will be closed for the duration of the project.
The northbound and southbound ramps between I-75 and Jeep Parkway, and the ramps for both north and southbound Willys Parkway on I-75 are shutting down for the next few years.
A few local streets are temporarily closed, as well. Central, Detroit, Phillips and Berdan avenues are being used as detour routes. And another big change was made for traffic flow:
"Pioneer Lane and also North Cove Boulevard are now two-way traffic instead of just one-way, so that way you can get around the area a little bit more efficiently," Pollick said.
The biggest danger to your safety right now is merging onto I-75.
"You have traffic going at a high rate of speed, say going 60 miles-per-hour or more, almost coming to a complete stop because you have these traffic weaves in and out," Pollick said.
Officials say the Jeep Parkway ramps are especially confusing. There are just too many merge points.
In order to give you a safer drive, interchanges leading up to some of these ramp closures will be under construction as well.
Now that the construction season is underway, ODOT wants drivers to remember a few things:
"This is just the beginning of construction in this entire corridor along I-75," Pollick said. "You can expect more ramp restrictions to pop up. And also, just obey the rules of the road and drivers need to pay more attention. And bottom line: just slow down."
The project is expected to be complete by July of 2018. For more information on the other ramp and road closures, click here.
