Displaying items by tag: ODOT

The Ohio Department of Transportation has become known for, at least over the past few years, their clever digital signs overlooking Ohio's highways. 

Some of the more memorable signs have come around the holidays, including, "Drive EGG-cellent. Some BUNNY needs you," of course, on Easter. And then, at Christmas time, there was the homage to the hit film "A Christmas Story" that read, "Life is FRE-GEE-LAY. Slow down." 

Now, ODOT is asking for your best traffic-related quips to be featured across the state. 

Click here to submit your most clever entry. 

:17 - We’re up to over 700 cases of measles across 22 states. Due to “anti-vaxxers,” a disease that was thought to be eradicated by 2000 is back with a vengeance. The morning show panel talked about this outbreak, which continues to make news.

7:45 - Spring has indeed sprung, and so have the orange barrels throughout the Akron area. Justin Chesnic, who manages the public information desk at ODOT, joined the show to discuss the construction happening on I-76 in Norton, U.S. 224, and I-77 near Canton.

13:37 - Kris Drew is a massive Game of Thrones fan, yet Ray and Tony feel like they’re in the minority. Kris attempts to educate everyone on the show, which is in its final couple of episodes.

20:22 - Normally on Tuesdays, Ray has his “Hey Bobby!” segment with Bob DiBiasio from the Cleveland Indians. But Bobby is out of town, so the show improvised and came up with a "Hey Tony!” segment with producer Tony Mazur.

On the Tuesday edition of the Jasen Sokol Show Podcast:

Dr. Karl Kaltenthaler from the University of Akron spoke with Jasen about Russia and politics (16.1 seconds) 

Justin Chesnic of ODOT spoke about the Howe Avenue construction project (15;47) 

 

:17 - US Senator Sherrod Brown has been in the news recently with his comments on Virginia Governor Ralph Northam. He joined the show to discuss that story and recap Tuesday’s State of the Union address.

3:38 - Ray went over to AMF Riviera Lanes in Fairlawn for the PBA Tournament, and he spoke with Tony Marvin from Riviera and PBA deputy commissioner Kirk Krueger.

12:02 - If you drive along the Kenmore Leg on I-76, you’re going to experience some delays and reroutes due to ramp closures. ODOT’s Justin Chesnic went over the process and how long it will take.

18:40 - Tony made the impulsive decision to go see Cher in concert last night, and he was quite entertained.

24:04 - In order to increase more camaraderie with students and help other students get interested in different sports, some schools are waiving ticket admissions for students.

The Ohio Department of Transportation announced Friday that the recently scheduled repair work on the East Avenue Bridge has been delayed due to weather as temperatures are expected to hit single digits, not factoring in windchill. 

Brent Kovacs with ODOT District 4 tells the WAKR Newsroom that all of the scheduled work needs to be started and completed at the same time, so even if there were a window to get a portion of the repairs underway, they couldn't. 

Below is the updated schedule and affected traffic patterns for the scheduled work:  

(ODOT) Beginning on Monday evening, January 28, at 8 p.m. the following lane restrictions and ramp closures will be in place through mid-March for repairs to the East Ave. bridges over I-76:

• I-76 eastbound under east Ave. will be reduced to ONE lane.
• The ramp from I-76 eastbound to I-76 eastbound/Kenmore Leg will be CLOSED. The detour will be I-277 eastbound to I-77 northbound to I-76 westbound.
• The ramp from I-76 eastbound/Kenmore Leg to I-76 eastbound will be CLOSED. The detour will be I-277 eastbound to I-77 northbound.

(Tuesday, January 29 – Wednesday, January 30)

Beginning on Tuesday evening, January 29, at 10 p.m. I-76 eastbound under the East Ave. bridge will be CLOSED through Wednesday morning, January 30, at 6 a.m. for bridge repairs. The detour will be I-76 westbound/Kenmore Leg to I-277 eastbound to I-77 northbound.

(Monday, February 4 – Friday, February 8)

Beginning on Monday evening, February 4, at 8 p.m. and continuing through Friday morning, February 8, at 6 a.m. I-76 westbound under East Ave. will have various nightly lane closures for bridge repairs. These restrictions will occur nightly between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.

More lane changes and closures coming to I-76, courtesy of ODOT. 

See the press release from the Akron Police Department below: 

As part of the Interstate 76 and Main Street project, ODOT currently plans to flip the westbound traffic of I-76 over on to the eastbound side on Sunday, December 2nd. 

The on ramp to 76W from the southbound side of S. Main St. will be CLOSED until late fall of 2019. 

For a period of time during the day, the existing off ramp from 76W to Broadway and downtown will close in order for the contractor to do some required paving. Traffic will be detoured using Dart Ave., Thornton and S. Main St. Once this work is completed, traffic will then exit on to the new Broadway off ramp.

Winter appears to be far from over as we in Northeast Ohio were brutally reminded this week. 

One hopeful sign that perhaps the worst is behind us: the National Weather Service's Winter Weather Advisory expiration was moved up from 8 p.m. Wednesday to 4 p.m. and forecasters call for the snow to taper off by mid-afternoon. 

But that doesn't mean the cold is going anywhere. The high temperature for Wednesday is only 27* and was already reached by noon. Factor in the wind chill and some areas could be hit with what feels like -2*, according to the National Weather Service. 

Road conditions progressively got better throughout the morning commute Wednesday, but Brent Kovacs with ODOT tells the Ray Horner Morning Show that trucks will continue to treat the roadways overnight into early Thursday morning to prevent any freezing when temperatures continue to drop. 

For those who may not have anywhere to go when the cold bites as it has this week, Haven of Rest Ministries reminds all residents that their doors are open. They have enacted "Code Zero" and are accomodating their facility at 175 E. Market Street. 

ODOT has released a statement Monday afternoon saying ramp work will begin Tuesday morning, and with it closures throughout the Central Interchange. 

Ramp construction had been delayed a week because the contractor tasked with doing so had not gotten the construction signs in place with time enough ahead of the scheduled construction. 

Despite the setback, Justin Chesnic with ODOT tells 1590 WAKR that the same contractor has completed the work needed on their end and they are ready to go. Below is the official release from ODOT: 

Monday, August 8, 2016

 

Interstate 76 in the City of Akron

(Tuesday, August 9 – until further notice)

The following lane restriction and ramp closures will occur by Tuesday morning, August 9, at 6 a.m.

• I-76 between Grant St. and Inman St. will be reduced to two lanes in each direction.
• The ramp from I-77 northbound to I-76 westbound will be CLOSED. The detour will be I-277 westbound to I-76/Kenmore Leg eastbound.
• The ramp from SR 8 southbound to I-77 northbound/I-76 westbound will be CLOSED. The detour will be I-77 southbound to I-277 westbound to I-76/Kenmore Leg eastbound.

(Wednesday, August 10 – until further notice)

Beginning Wednesday, morning, August 10, at 6 a.m.., the ramp from I-76 eastbound to I-77 southbound will be CLOSED through late November for bridge removal. The detour will be I-76/Kenmore Leg westbound to I-277 eastbound to I-77 southbound. This work is part of a $15.6 million project to remove three bridge on I-76/I-77 over Johnston St. The project also includes the relocation of Johnston St. between Spicer St. and Brown St. The entire project is scheduled to be completed by late July 2017.

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The Ohio Department of Transportation maintains the state's largest man-made asset--the transportation system. ODOT's mission is to provide the safe and easy movement of people and goods from place to place. As a $2.8 billion per year enterprise, ODOT invests the bulk of its resources in system preservation through maintenance, construction and snow and ice operations.

“The environmental review, consultation, and other actions required by applicable Federal environmental laws for this project are being, or have been, carried-out by ODOT pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated December 11, 2015, and executed by FHWA and ODOT.”

Follow our coverage of the story with the last update from WAKR.net. 

 

ODOT posted on Twitter late Tuesday night that they're postponing their scheduled ramp closures throughout the Central Interchange in Akron. ODOT spokesman Brent Kovacs tells 1590 WAKR that the contractor did not get the detour signs up in time for the work, thus delaying the project that is scheduled to take about 3 months. 

Here is our previous story explaining what ramps will be closed when the project resumes. 

The orange barrels have been out this summer around Summit County, but your commute might get a little trickier on Tuesday morning with nearly several three-month long ramp closures around the Central Interchange in Akron.

The Ohio Department of Transportation is working on several bridge removal projects over Spicer and Johnston streets that require them to close the ramps from I-77 north to I-76 west, Rt. 8 south to I-76 west and I-76 east to I-77 south.

ODOT District 4 spokesman Justin Chesnic said there two major reasons for the bridge removals including the cost of maintenance and planning for future projects.

"Coming down the line we're going to have a pretty big project there at the Central Interchange where we're actually redoing some ramps, some bridges and certain things there," said Chesnic. "That's going to be around 2020. So in about 3-4 years down the line we're going to be doing that. It's much easier to work around pavement than it is bridges."

While the adjustemnt of teh new commute around the Central Interchange will take some days to get used to, Chesnic says they are prepared. Crews have spent time working to re-stripe the Kenmore Leg and surrounding areas to add an additional lane for drivers who will be moving around the closures.

"We've re-striped the Kenmore Leg to three lanes of traffic in each direction. A lot of those key access points at the northern end and the southern end of the Kenmore Leg have been restriped to two lanes. So, in essence, that should really help traffic flow through there a lot better."

The ramp closures are expected to last around three months (about 110 days). 

There are several other closures and lane restrictions that are expected to take place around Summit County this week. "Do The Detour"

ODOT has also updated their "Do The Detour" website to provide the best routes to get around the closures.

Finding your way around closures on the roads can be a hassle, especially during construction season. The Ohio Department of Transportation is hoping to relieve some of the headaches associated with traveling through the orange barrels.

ODOT District 4 has launched the "Do The Detour" website, ahead of the restriping project along the Kenmore Leg that was scheduled for this weekend. That project has since been postponed due to weather.

According to ODOT, the new site will offer the best detour options for drivers, maps included, before they head out on the road.

There are a list of upcoming projects that ODOT is preparing for -- including the more than $100 million project on Main/Broadway and I-76. It's a four-year project that will send drivers to the Kenmore Leg as the detour.

On the web: www.dot.state.oh.us