By: John MacAdam and Marissa McDaid
In Lake County, Ohio, winter weather spells trouble for a stretch of I-90 between S.R. 528 and S.R. 44.
Over a 10-year span, more than 800 winter crashes were recorded along this corridor. On Dec. 8, 2016, an intense snow band that produced massive squalls contributed to a bus crash that led to a multi-car pileup of more than 50 vehicles, a scene all-too familiar to local responding agencies that witnessed a remarkably similar incident in December of the previous year.
Northeastern Ohio is no stranger to winter weather, where areas of Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake counties can see more than 100 in. of snowfall annually. Unique to regions surrounding the Great Lakes, lake-effect snow can deposit more than 1 in. per hour, drastically reducing visibility and resulting in rapid accumulation. Lake-effect snow occurs when fronts of cold air pass over warm bodies of water. The location of I-90 along Lake Erie’s shore makes it a prime candidate for lake-effect squalls, known to surprise even the most experienced drivers.
“Drivers experience a rapid change in weather and road conditions,” explained Lake County Sheriff Daniel Dunlap, regarding winter on I-90. “After driving 60 to 70 mph on relatively clear roadways, they basically come to a curtain of snow. Over a distance of 3-4 miles, [accumulation] can go from very little snow to well over a foot of snow.” After much discussion, partnering agencies agreed that a 10-mph speed-limit reduction was the first step in encouraging drivers to understand the unique threat that snow squalls posed in this corridor.
Finding a fix
Looking for a quick way to reduce the risk and severity of multi-car and secondary crashes, on January 2017 the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) temporarily reduced the 70-mph stretch of I-90 between S.R. 91 and Vrooman Road to 60 mph through April 1. Ongoing discussions with the Lake County Sheriff and Ohio State Highway Patrol made it apparent that speed was a high contributing factor to severe winter crashes. Speed data from the day of the December 2016 crash showed that even after entering the lake-effect snow band, vehicles had continued to travel in excess of 70 mph.
While the seasonal 10-mph speed-limit reduction on I-90 through Lake County caught the attention of the highway’s frequent travelers and local media, critics questioned its effectiveness. On days where no winter weather was predicted during the three-month period of the temporary reduction, commuters found themselves frustrated by the lowered speed limit. At the time, the Ohio Revised Code only allowed for the use of variable speed limits (VSL) within construction work zones. Interest in establishing a VSL corridor grew as local agencies and motorists discussed the safety of the corridor.
“If we can get people to slow down, that will give them more reaction time when there’s a crash ahead,” said Ohio State Highway Patrol Lt. Charles Gullet. “I definitely feel [variable speed limits] will be a step in the right direction to reduce crashes in that area.”
Legislation was passed in Summer 2017 that gave ODOT the go-ahead to move forward with designing a VSL corridor on I-90 between I-71 and the Ohio and Pennsylvania border. The limits of the project were narrowed to the stretch of I-90 between S.R. 44 and S.R. 528, a span that once saw 11 to 50 crashes per snow event—some that were multi-vehicle pileups.
With only a few months to install the new system before winter began in Ohio, ODOT was tasked with the challenge of showing the public that change was on the way. Plans for the new VSL corridor were finalized and sign fabrication began. In preparation for the upcoming snow and ice season, temporary VSL signs similar to those used in work zones were placed in four eastbound and four westbound locations on I-90.
