Crowded roadways expected for Memorial Day
COLUMBUS – The Memorial Day holiday marks the unofficial beginning of the summer driving season. AAA is predicting 1.5 million Ohioans will travel more than 50 miles from home this weekend.
Ohio roadways typically see a 16 percent increase in traffic for the Memorial Day holiday, the 4th largest increase among high-travel holidays during the year.
During high-travel holidays, ODOT works with its contractors to reduce the size of work zones and open as many lanes of travel as possible. However, with a $2.3 billion investment into Ohio’s roads and bridges this year, it’s likely that travelers will encounter orange barrels. The biggest work zones are on I-71 and I-270 in Columbus, I-75 in Cincinnati, Findlay and Toledo, I-271 in Cleveland, and I-76 in Akron.
Traveling through work zones requires extra attention from drivers. In 2017, there were 4,891 work zone crashes. They resulted in 606 minor injuries, 119 serious injuries, and 19 deaths.
Your best defense against getting stuck in traffic is the OHGO app. It gives you access to real-time traffic data, more than 650 traffic cameras, and construction information so you can plan your trip.
ODOT is also partnering with the Ohio State Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies to remind drivers to buckle up this weekend. Unfortunately, 116 people have been killed in crashes this year where they were not wearing a seat belt.
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