I-70/I-75 ramp detour changed
Motorists to use Ohio 235 after Huber officials ask to change route.
Signs detouring traffic on Intestate 70 during a two-month long construction project that will close an off ramp to Interstate 75 will now suggest motorists use Ohio 235, Ohio Department of Transportation officials said.
After the Dayton Daily News published a story last week where ODOT said traffic would be detoured to Ohio 202, Huber Heights officials asked for a change, saying they had not been consulted.
ODOT spokesman Tiffany Oliphant said her agency had reached out to Huber Heights officials in April 2020 with a letter letting them know ODOT planned to reroute traffic to Ohio 202, but ODOT did not receive any response back.
ODOT can only detour traffic to state, U.S., or interstate routes. Ohio 202 is the closest location.
Oliphant said ODOT first heard of Huber Height Mayor Jeff Gore’s concerns via his Facebook page and a news story. ODOT also received a phone call from an assistant city manager. In response, they chose to change the official signage to Ohio 235.
“This will allow detoured traffic to avoid the closure without having to stop,” Oliphant said.
“However, we know that local drivers will likely use a much shorter route to get around the temporary closure.”
The Interstate 70 east ramp to Interstate 75 north will be closed for two months for safety improvements, as crews remove and replace an existing wall for safety reasons.
The ramp will be closed Monday, March 15, through Monday, May 17.
Oliphant said the taller wall design has a portion that sits below the pavement to help keep it stable when getting hit by larger vehicles.
The project will also involve installing arrow signs, also known as chevron signs, around the I-70 eastbound to I-75 northbound ramp as well as on I-75 northbound to I-70 westbound, I-75 southbound to 70 eastbound, and I-70 westbound to I-75 southbound, to help guide traffic.
Chagrin Valley Paving is the contractor for ODOT and the cost is more than $770,800.
The interchange is relatively busy. The I-70/75 Interchange sees on average 185,000 vehicles per day for 2019 and 155,000 vehicles per day for 2020, Oliphant said, though the global pandemic has meant fewer people are driving. Traffic volumes in Ohio were down more than 15% from 2019 to 2020.