Turnpike commissions plans projects for 2023

This year, the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission has a budget of about $226 million for
capital improvement projects across the 241-mile toll road that traverses through 13 counties in northern Ohio.
The major construction projects on the Ohio Turnpike in 2023 include pavement replacement and resurfacing, bridge renovations, and modernizing the toll collection system.
“The start of the construction season is an opportunity to remind motorists that everyone plays a role in work zone safety,” said Chris Matta, the commission’s chief engineer. “With reduced lane widths and shifts, and narrow or no shoulders, we are urging motorists to drive safely in-and-around work zones by maintaining the posted speed limit, establishing a safe following distance, paying attention to the signs, avoiding distractions, and being prepared to slow down or stop.”
Speeding is a primary cause of crashes in work zones, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The OSHP will be conducting speed enforcement, including aerial enforcement by plane, in work zones across the Ohio Turnpike during the construction season, which typically runs from April to December 2023.
Projects scheduled for local counties include:
Ottawa County
Repairs are necessary to repair a portion of the slope located near milepost 63 on the eastbound side of the turnpike in Ottawa County.
Traffic will be reduced by one lane to facilitate the work, which will leave two lanes of travel open for eastbound travelers. The work will be performed between June and November 2023.
Sandusky County
Kokosing is also continuing work on two bridges in Sandusky County that began in 2022. The work includes the removal of the mainline bridge at milepost 98.9 and the deck replacement of the bridge over State Rt. 510.
Two lanes of traffic will be maintained during most of the construction on the mainline. A temporary traffic signal on State Rt. 510 will maintain both northbound and southbound traffic. The work is expected to be completed in November 2023.
A project that will remove the wastewater treatment plant that serves Erie Island and Commodore Perry service plazas is expected to begin in May 2023. The treatment plant will be replaced by a pump station and sanitary line, and the wastewater treatment plant will be demolished during the project term from May 2023 to April 2024.
Erie County
Gerken Paving (Napoleon, Ohio) will begin work in April 2023 to resurface the ramps at Toll Plaza 118) in Erie County.
All ramps will remain open during the project and temporary traffic signals will be used to control traffic. The work is expected to be completed by the end of July 2023.
Other counties
Various projects to modernize the toll collection system at toll plaza interchanges in numerous counties will continue in 2023.
Regent Electric (Toledo, Ohio) is performing modifications to the existing toll plaza infrastructure by installing new tolling hardware equipment at toll plaza interchanges 52 and 59 (Lucas County), 64 and 71 (Wood County), 81 (Ottawa County), 91 (Sandusky County), 110 and 118 (Erie County), 135, 140 and 142 (Lorain County).
Conduent (New York) is performing the new hardware and software installations at the toll plazas required to collect vehicle information for tolling.
Impact on traffic is expected to be minimal as the work continues.
To limit delays for travelers on the Ohio Turnpike, the commission tries to maintain two lanes of traffic in all three lane sections of the turnpike during peak travel times. Some single lane zones will be necessary but will occur mostly during off-peak travel times or at night.