The Ohio Turnpike kicks off its 2021 construction season this month with a $205 million capital improvement program that includes projects throughout northern Ohio.

The focus will be on improving safety and making progress on the modernized Toll Collection System that is scheduled to go live with Open Road Tolling in the spring of 2023.

“We’ll be making significant progress this year constructing much of the infrastructure necessary to modernize our toll collection system,” said Executive Director Ferzan M. Ahmed. “Customers have been asking for a modern toll road and we’re excited that our plan is now
underway. In 2023, our new Open Road Tolling system will debut with all gates removed for our E-ZPass customers"

Identified infrastructure improvements include pavement replacement and resurfacing, bridge rehabilitation and construction of a new Toll Plaza in Swanton, Ohio.

Ohio Turnpike bridges also will see major work this year, with almost $22 million in various bridge repair, removal, repainting, and deck widening projects.

In the Valley, the commission says they will remove or demolish low-volume and high-cost toll plazas while maintaining access to the turnpike.

In Trumbull County, construction of a new toll plaza and full-depth excavation and pavement replacement will occur in the westbound outside shoulder and right
and left lanes from MP 212.8 to MP 208.2.

This project will maintain traffic in 2 lanes in both directions utilizing contraflow in the westbound direction.

Construction on the eastbound side will take place in 2022.

The Shelly Company was awarded a $45.7 million contract to complete this two-part/two-year project, which includes other aspects of the new Toll Collection System, specifically, the construction of a new Open Road Tolling lane and construction of new ramps that will connect to a new Toll Plaza at MP 211.

Five such toll plazas have been identified between Warren and Pennsylvania as seen below.

Travel between those plazas will be untolled when the system is active in 2023.

If you are traveling from Pennsylvania to Cleveland, when you enter Ohio and go through new open tolling plazas, you will pay a flat fee.

That fee will cover both ways, so traveling from Pennsylvania, you will not have to pay that toll again

 

In Mahoning County, Mahoning mainline bridge deck replacement and rehab will be underway for the Westbound and Eastbound lanes over Turner Road, County Road 103 (MP 222.7), and the Westbound and Eastbound lanes over Kirk Road, County Road 146 (MP 222.8).

The bridge decks will be replaced, rehabilitated, and widened on both mainline bridges.

Two lanes of traffic will be maintained on the mainline by first using the right lane and outside shoulder and then traffic will be switched to the new left lane and inside shoulder.

There will be periodic single-lane closures during the course of the project.

The work is scheduled to begin in Mid-March 2021 and be completed by July 30, 2022.

The Ruhlin Company will complete the work with a contract award amount of $9.3 million.

Pavement replacement and an eventual modernized Westgate Plaza is also in store for Mahoning County.

Full-depth excavation and pavement replacement will occur on the eastbound side from MP 235.9-to MP 241.26.

This project will maintain two lanes of traffic into the existing Eastgate Toll Plaza and reduce travel out of the existing Eastgate Toll Plaza to one lane in a bi-directional work zone.

Construction on the westbound side will take place in 2022.

Shelly & Sands Inc. was awarded a $39.9 million contract to complete this three-year project, which includes other aspects of the new Toll Collection System, specifically, the construction of a new Open Road Tolling lane and the construction of new ramps that will connect to the modernized Toll Plaza at MP 239 (Eastgate).

The modernized Eastgate Toll Plaza will process tolls on the westbound side only when the new Toll Collection System goes live in the spring of 2023.