Ohio ‘Pike’s $900m rebuild begins

Spring is seeing a start on a $900 million rebuild of the Ohio Turnpike. From Toledo to Youngstown, 160 miles of the 241 mile highway, will be increased from 4 lanes to 6. Construction will be mostly in the median, minimizing the need to rebuild ramps and over-bridges, or acquire new real estate. Six new interchanges are being built, toll plazas renovated and service plazas expanded. Major repaving jobs are being undertaken in the remainder of the ‘pike.

Tolls are being aggressively increased in five steps in order to underwite the improvements, and by 1988 toll rates will be 65% higher than in 1995. Most of the existing four lane roadway was constructed 1954 to 1955, though the highway has grown in capacity through a near doubling of the original interchanges. 1983 to 1991 the Turnpike Commission rebuilt all 145 pairs of mainline bridges on the ‘pike.

Traffic is currently 42m a year, 130,000 on an average weekday, producing about $100m/year in tolls. The Ohio ‘pike is one of the nation’s great truck routes with commercial vehicles contributing over 60% of the revenues and constituting over 20% of vehicle numbers. Lake Erie’s dip southward forces three major routes from the east, namely I-90, I-80 and I-76 (Penna’ Turnpike) to converge on the Ohio ‘Pike making its four lane section a bottleneck on the way to Chicago from the northeast. (Source: Ohio Turnpike Commission 216/234-2081)