Ohio Turnpike revamping toll plazas as part of $232 million modernization plan
Summit and Portage county motorists using the Ohio Turnpike should expect to see construction at the four toll plazas in the two counties during the coming months.
As part of a multi-year project to revamp the turnpike's toll collection system, work is underway at the Interstate 77/Brecksville Road interchange toll plaza in Richfield and is scheduled to begin in September at the I-480/Route 14 interchange toll plaza in Streetsboro in September, said Charles Cyrill, spokesman for the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission.
This is to be followed by construction at the state Route 8 interchange in Boston Heights in December and the state Route 44 interchange in Shalersville in March 2023.
“We are currently undertaking the largest construction project in the history of the Ohio Turnpike since the years leading up to its completion in 1955,” said commission Executive Director Ferzan Ahmed. “The modernization of the turnpike will enable E-ZPass open-road tolling and gateless low-speed conventional lanes to enhance the driving experience for our passenger car and commercial truck customers.”
According to a commission media release, the project, which began in 2019, is estimated to cost $232 million, with cost savings over 30 years projected at $257 million. Work has been done or will be done at four new or reconstructed mainline toll plazas, tollgates on the highway itself, and at 20 interchange plazas from Lucas to Trumbull counties, including the four in Summit and Portage counties.
There will be a net reduction in the total number of toll plazas from 31 to 24. This includes:
Construction of a new Westgate mainline plaza to replace the existing one in Williams County.
Construction of new mainline plaza in Newton Falls in Trumbull County and another in Lucas County.
Conversion of four interchange plazas near Toledo and five interchange plazas in the Youngstown area into non-tolled interchanges.
"Tolls will no longer be collected from customers exiting at these toll plaza exchanges," Cyrill said.
Work on the new Westgate and Trumbull plazas is continuing through 2022 and a renovation of the current Eastgate mainline plaza in Springfield Township in Mahoning County is planned. The new Lucas County plaza is being used to test components of the new system.
Work at 24 new and remaining plazas includes lane conversions, with new electronic tolling equipment installed, removal of entrance gates and gates from lanes used by Ohio Turnpike E-ZPass users. Motorists without E-ZPass will still be able to take a ticket and pay with a cash or credit card. Signs will indicate which lanes are which. New eye-level electronic boards will will provide motorists with important messages, such as "E-ZPass accepted."
The project will not impact staffing at the plazas.
"Future staffing at the toll plaza interchanges will operate much like it does today," Cyrill said. "Both staff and automatic toll payment machines will be utilized. During periods of lower traffic volume at various toll plaza interchanges, non-E-ZPass customers can pay their tolls using the (automated machine), which accepts cash and credit cards."
Cyrill said the removal of gates at the mainline plazas will make travel more efficient for E-ZPass holders.
"If you have your E-ZPass, you'll be able to travel the whole way" between the Pennsylvania line to the Indiana line nonstop, he said.
Cyrill said the project's target for completion is mid-2023, provided inclement weather, supply-chain issues or labor shortages do not cause additional delays.
Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Ohio Turnpike revamps toll plazas as part of $232 million project
