Overview
Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) District 12 improved safety and reduced congestion on I-480 westbound by re-striping the weave section from three lanes to two. This reduced travel times and increased average speeds for over 60,000 daily commuters. The project was completed in one season to minimize disruptions and future maintenance costs. Positive public feedback highlights the success of these changes, which save lives through enhanced safety, save time with faster commutes, and save money by reducing long-term maintenance and accident-related expenses.
In this case study you will learn:
- How ODOT improved safety and traffic flow on I-480 westbound by reducing the weave section from 3 lanes to 2.
- How the project was completed within one construction season, minimizing disruptions.
- How the project resulted in faster commutes and positive public feedback, showing high satisfaction with the improvements.
Background
Ohio Department of Transportation - District 12 identified reoccurring congestion along Interstate 480 westbound between Interstate 71 and State Route 237. This section of Interstate 480 carries over 60,000 vehicles per day in the westbound direction. Motorists that frequent Interstate 480 westbound in this area during their afternoon commute experienced daily slowdowns and queueing, with average travel speeds of 26mph.
TSMO Planning, Strategies and Deployment
A Feasibility Study was conducted and determined that a change to the existing weave movement between State Route 237 and Interstate 71 would increase the Level Of Service along with a “Performance Based Project Development” configuration from Grayton Road to Interstate 71. The regular process was followed with advertisement of the design contract on ODOT’s bi-annual programmatic. This process includes receiving Letters of Intent from various consulting firms, consultant selection, environmental process, notification of the public, filing the project, sale and then construction.
The construction phase was challenging as the amount of work to be completed in one construction season was very tight, beginning March 2023 and with estimated completion of the majority of work in December 2023.
As the project would be changing the grading of the bridges along the corridor, a construction goal established included not wanting to leave the work zone up through the winter therefore the work was to be completed within a single construction season. The final surface course is currently being applied this construction season.
Communications Planning and Execution
The standard NEPA process for public involvement was followed here with no special public involvement events utilized. Once the project opened and it was realized how successful the project had been, the ODOT District 12 public information office put out a small press release.
Outcome, Benefits and Learnings
The TSMO solution provided an incredible benefit to the motoring public by reducing the travel times of many commuters living in the area. Re-striping the existing pavement in the weave section from a 3-lane weave to a 2-lane weave has made a great difference in both safety and operations. The response from the public applauding the change has been amazing and the amount of positive comments received on the ODOT District 12 Public Information Facebook post have been numerous. In our careers, there have been few projects to receive this kind of positive feedback from the motoring public.