ODOT spokesman Tiffany 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 current project is replacing the barrier with a taller wall where rollover crashes have occurred on the ramp,” Oliphant said.
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Crashes are not uncommon on the ramp. In 2017, nine crashes occurred on the ramp, according to ODOT. In 2019, two crashes occurred on the ramp.
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, three commercial vehicle crashes have occurred on the same ramp in the last year. Two of those crashes resulted only in property damage and the third involved a minor injury.
Chagrin Valley Paving is the contractor for ODOT and the cost is more than $770,800.
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.
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.
The I-70 eastbound to I-75 northbound does not have as much traffic as some of the other ramps at this interchange, Oliphant said, adding on average, about 3,247 cars use the I-70 eastbound to I-75 northbound ramp daily.
Contact Eileen McClory at 937-694-2016 or eileen.mcclory@coxinc.com.
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