A safety improvement project completed in 2020 at the Interstate 480 and State Road 94 interchange has led to a significant reduction in crashes, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT).
ODOT initiated the project after reviewing crash data from 2016 to 2018, which showed an average of 40 annual crashes on State Road near the interchange and 50 crashes annually on I-480 at State Road.
Construction began in February 2019 and included a dedicated right-turn lane on westbound State Road 17 (Brookpark Road) to northbound State Road, a lengthened turn slot on the westbound I-480 exit ramp, and a reconfiguration of travel lanes between Brookpark Road and Ralph/Burger Avenue.
Since completion, crashes have dropped by 13% on State Road near I-480 and by 33% on I-480 at State Road. Injury crashes have also decreased by 30% on State Road and 47% on I-480.
"It's our goal to continue to install proven safety countermeasures to help reduce crashes," said John Picuri, ODOT District 12 deputy director, in a statement. "Seeing these positive results validates to us that these safety countermeasures are working and helping us achieve our mission to save lives."
ODOT plans to continue safety enhancements, with a new project at the Interstate 271 northbound and Cedar-Brainard Road interchange in Beachwood.
Set to begin this spring and finish in 2026, the project will expand exit ramp capacity and modify the I-271 northbound express lane entrance and exit near Fairmount Boulevard.
Source: Ohio Department of Transportation, Spectrum News
