Pavement replacement is scheduled to begin along the Turnpike in Fulton and Lucas counties, with one lane closed at a time. Pavement resurfacing projects in Ottawa, Sandusky and Erie counties also will begin this spring.
The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission began essential infrastructure construction projects throughout northern Ohio in April. The Commission's focus in the short-term will be to maintain, repair and operate the Ohio Turnpike for essential personnel to continue using during this COVID-19 pandemic.
"More than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ohio Turnpike's role as a nationally ranked freight corridor is essential to move freight where it's needed most to help Americans in the battle against an unseen enemy," said Ferzan M. Ahmed, executive director.
Pavement replacement is scheduled to begin along the Turnpike in Fulton and Lucas counties, with one lane closed at a time. Pavement resurfacing projects in Ottawa, Sandusky and Erie counties also will begin this spring.
To limit delays for customers, the Commission will strive 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 overnight. A substantial portion of all projects is expected to be completed by early November.
Ohio Turnpike bridges also will see construction updates this year, in various bridge repair, removal, repainting and deck-widening and replacement projects.
2020 Major Construction Projects from West to East Fulton County
- Overhead Bridge Deck Replacements and Rehabilitation
- Tedrow-Morenci Road—CR 17-3 (MP 31.4)
- Wauseon-Ottokee Road—CR 14 (MP 35.2)
- Winnameg-Lyons Road—CR 11 (MP 38.3)
- Heller-Lyons Road—TR 10 (MP 39.3)
Beginning in April 2020 and expected to end before November 2020, overhead bridge deck replacement and rehabilitation will occur at the locations listed above. This will result in the full closure of the bridges at some point during that time period. Detours will be posted.
Mainline Bridge Deck Removals, Replacements, Widening
- Mainline Westbound and Eastbound over Abandoned Railroad (MP 34.2)
- Mainline Westbound & Eastbound over SR 108 — Exit 34 (MP 34.5)
Eastbound and westbound customers traveling on both the Ohio Turnpike mainline and on SR 108 will encounter periodic single lane closures.
There are two contracts for the above Fulton County bridge work for a total amount of over $12 million.
Fulton and Lucas County
- Pavement Replacement and Resurfacing of Mainline
Reconstruction of the eastbound and westbound mainline pavement and shoulders from Milepost (MP) 46.50 to 50.92 in Fulton and Lucas counties has begun. The project also includes the construction of the entrance and exit ramps to and from the planned new Toll Plaza 49 and its associated Open Road Tolling lanes.
This project is part of the Modernization of the Toll Collection System and will include the site construction for the new mainline Toll Plaza 49 in Lucas County. This construction project will be performed over the 2020 and 2021 construction seasons and two lanes will generally be maintained in each direction. The value of the contract is approximately $30.75 million and was awarded to Kokosing Construction Company.
- Construction of New Toll Plaza at MP 49
The project for the new mainline tolling facility at MP 49 will be bid later this spring/summer. It will complement the pavement reconstruction and ramp construction projects noted above and provide further implementation of the Toll Collection System Modernization Plan.
Building foundations and other site and utility work will be completed in 2020 with the facility being totally completed in 2021. The work includes construction of the required infrastructure that will eventually result in highway speed tolling for E-ZPass customers.
Ottawa and Sandusky Counties — Pavement Repairs and Resurfacing
All lanes and shoulders, eastbound and westbound, will be resurfaced between MP 80.50 and 90.02 between April and November of 2020.
Ohio Turnpike customers will have two lanes open during the day and a single lane open during the night. The value of the contract is approximately $14.25 million and was awarded to Kokosing Construction Company.
Erie County — Pavement Repairs and Resurfacing
The right and center lanes, as well as the right shoulder, eastbound and westbound, will be resurfaced between MP 118.80 and 127.23 between April and November of 2020. Ohio Turnpike Customers will have two lanes open during the day and a single lane open during the night. The value of the contract is approximately $12 million and was awarded to Gerken Paving Inc.
Cuyahoga and Summit Counties — Pavement Replacement, Resurfacing of Mainline
The pavement replacement and resurfacing project in Cuyahoga and Summit counties began in 2018 and will wrap up this year.
Previously, the mainline pavement and shoulders were replaced eastbound in 2018 and westbound in 2019 from MP 169.74 to 176.34. For 2020, the work consists of resurfacing the left lane in both eastbound and westbound directions, full-depth excavation and pavement replacement of 3.1-mi. of the left lane on the westbound side and resurfacing all lanes and shoulders from MP 176.34 to 178.05.
The work is under way and will be completed in November 2020.
Cuyahoga County — Overhead Bridge Deck Replacements, Substructure Repair
- Ohio Turnpike Ramp over the Ohio Turnpike — Exit 161 (MP 161.5) — Repairs Only
- Ohio Turnpike Ramp over the Ohio Turnpike — Exit 161 (MP 161.8) — Repairs Only
- Webster Road — County Road 192 (MP 162.9) — Re-decking and Repairs
Abbey Road —County Road 196 (MP 164.4) — Re-decking and Repairs
Abbey Road bridge is closed for bridge re-decking and a detour is in place. The bridge is expected to reopen around the beginning of July, at which time the Webster Road bridge will be closed for re-decking. The anticipated reopen date of the Webster Road bridge is October 2020.
The contractor for this combined project is Suburban Maintenance and Construction Inc. with a contract amount of approximately $2.73 million.
Mahoning County — Bridge Removal
- Bridge Removal on Mainline over Mill Creek Bikeway (MP 223)
Work on the Bridge Removal over the Mill Creek Bikeway began in 2018 and is scheduled to be completed by September 2020. Previous work involved construction of a bike detour, the removal of the eastbound mainline bridge over the Mill Creek Bikeway at MP 223 and installation of a prefabricated concrete structure.
In 2020, the westbound mainline bridge will be removed, and a new permanent bike path will be built through the construction area. Suburban Maintenance and Construction is the contractor for this project with a contract amount of approximately $6.3 million.
Mahoning County — Bridge Painting of Two Bridges
- Mainline Bridge over Poland-Unity Road (MP 237.8)
- Mainline Bridge over Columbia-New Castle Road (MP 238.1)
Painting of these two bridges has already begun and is scheduled to be completed by June 15, 2020.
Currently, Poland Unity Road is closed and will be for approximately 30 days. Following that, it is anticipated that the Columbiana New Castle Road will close in early May for 30 days to complete the painting of that bridge.
For more information, visit ohioturnpike.org.
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