Ohio Turnpike

The Ohio Turnpike, officially the James W. Shocknessy Ohio Turnpike, is a controlled-access toll road in the U.S. state of Ohio, serving as a primary corridor between Chicago and Pittsburgh. The road runs east–west for Template:Convert in the northern section of the state, with the western end at the Indiana–Ohio border near Edon where it meets the Indiana Toll Road, and the eastern end at the Ohio–Pennsylvania border near Petersburg, where it meets the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The road is owned and maintained by the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission (OTIC), headquartered in Berea.<ref name="name" group="lower-alpha">The name of the agency was the Ohio Turnpike Commission until July 1, 2013, when the name was changed to its current form by the Ohio General Assembly.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref></ref>

Built from 1949 to 1955, construction for the roadway was completed a year prior to the Interstate Highway Act. The modern Ohio Turnpike is signed as three Interstate highways: I-76, I-80 and I-90.

Route description

The entire length of the Ohio Turnpike is Template:Convert, from the western terminus in Northwest Township near Edon, where it meets the Indiana Toll Road at the Ohio–Indiana border, to the eastern terminus in Springfield Township near Petersburg where it meets the Pennsylvania Turnpike at the Ohio–Pennsylvania border. Most of the turnpike, Template:Convert between the Indiana border and an interchange with Interstate 76 (I-76) near Youngstown, is signed as part of I-80, while the eastern Template:Convert, between the I-80/I-76 interchange and the Pennsylvania border, is signed as part of I-76. For Template:Convert, between the Indiana border and Elyria, I-90 is cosigned with I-80 as part of the turnpike.

The Ohio Turnpike does not pass directly into any major city, but does provide access to the four major metro areas in northern Ohio through connected routes. Two auxiliary Interstate highways, I-271 near Cleveland and I-475 near Toledo, cross the turnpike, but do not have direct connections. In Northwest Ohio, the turnpike passes through the southern part of the Toledo metropolitan area, with direct access to Toledo through I-75 and I-280.

In Northeast Ohio, the turnpike passes through the southern suburbs of Greater Cleveland and the northern edge of the Akron metro area, with direct access to Cleveland via I-71, I-77, I-90 and I-480. Akron is connected to the turnpike via I-77 and State Route 8 (SR 8) in the north and I-76 on the east. The turnpike is located on the western and southern edges of the Mahoning Valley, with direct access to Youngstown through the remaining portion of I-80 east of the Turnpike, and I-680.

Aerial photograph of I-80 (bottom left to right) and I-76 (left to top) interchange

In North Jackson, I-80 and I-76 swap rights-of-way at a double trumpet interchange; I-76 continues east as I-80 and I-80 continues southeast as I-76, carrying the turnpike with it. In Petersburg, the concurrent routes cross the state lines into Pennsylvania, automatically becoming the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

History

Westbound Ohio Turnpike

In 1947 a bill was introduced in the Ohio General Assembly authorizing a privately financed roadway. Originally consisting of a system of five highways, the turnpike was reduced to one when the other four were made redundant by the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956.<ref name=pd201509>Template:Cite news</ref> Construction for the road cost $326 million and was recorded as the biggest project in state history, with 10,000 employees, more than 2,300 bulldozers, graders, loaders and other machines over a 38-month period.<ref name=ohiohistorybook/><ref name=turnpikehistory>Template:Cite web</ref>

On December 1, 1954, the first Template:Convert stretch (the portion lying east of SR 18) opened near the present-day exit 218 for I-76 and I-80. Several motorists attended a dedication ceremony, with over 1,000 people joining a caravan, following a snow plow and a patrol cruiser, to become the first to drive the turnpike. The remaining section from exit 218 west to Indiana opened on October 1, 1955.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A connecting ramp near the Indiana state line closed on August 16, 1956, the day before the Indiana Toll Road was opened; this ramp had been used to allow traffic access to US 20 to cross into Indiana.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As originally built, the turnpike offered 18 access points.<ref name=turnpikehistory/>

The Ohio Turnpike originally had a Template:Convert limit for cars and Template:Convert limit for trucks. The automobile speed limit was increased on September 30, 1963, in concert with other Ohio rural Interstates to Template:Convert.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Exit 10 was rebuilt to provide access to Interstate 71 when that road was built across the turnpike, while still retaining access to its original US 42 access point. This came with a relocated toll plaza and trumpet interchange. The existing overpass was not demolished, though the original trumpet ramps were abandoned. The work was completed in November 1966.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Exit 15 was rebuilt as part of construction of the ODOT maintained portion of interstate 80. Previously serving the surface alignment of Ohio Route 18, upon the opening of the new ramps, it would instead serve the road.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Work on the new interchange was completed in 1972.

In 1974, construction was completed on exit 8A, a new interchange with Interstate 90.

In 1974, construction began on exit 16A, a new interchange to serve Interstate 680.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was completed in 1975.

The turnpike was renamed in honor of original chairman James W. Shocknessy in 1976.<ref name=pd201509/>

Due to the National Maximum Speed Law, a 55 mph speed limit took effect in 1974 for all vehicles. The 55 mph limit remained until 1987 when the Ohio General Assembly adopted the federally permitted 65 mph maximum speed limit, but for automobiles only.

In 1991, exit 4A was opened to serve Interstate 75.

On December 29, 1992, the unnumbered interchange at SR 49 was opened. There are no ramp tolls at this interchange; the Westgate toll barrier was, at the same time, demolished<ref>Template:Cite map</ref> and replaced by a new Westgate Toll barrier, which is located east of SR 49.<ref name=lewis>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1994, ticket dispensers were added to interchanges in order to reduce congestion.<ref name="debit">Template:Cite news</ref>

Many infill interchanges were added in the 1990s. Exit 6A was opened on December 15, 1994,<ref name=abj>Template:Cite news</ref> and exit 7A was opened the next year on December 13.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This was followed by exit 3B on December 20, 1996,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> exit 5A on February 6, 1997,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and exit 2A on November 18, 1998.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In December 2001, construction was completed on a project to reconstruct exit 11 to add new ramps to Interstate 77, in addition to replacing and expanding the toll plaza and ramps,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the former of which was left in as truck parking space.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Ohio Turnpike Commission began phasing in distance-based exit numbers in 1998. In September 2002, the sequential numbering system was retired.

Governor Taft asked the Ohio Turnpike Commission to work with ODOT and the OSHP to formulate a plan to encourage truck traffic to use the turnpike instead of parallel highways, improving the safety of those other roadways. The three organizations created a plan with three points. The truck speed limit was increased from Template:Convert for consistency with the automobile limits. Enforcement of truck weight and speed limits on parallel highways was increased, and truck toll rates were lowered in a trial. The speed limit increase took effect on September 8, 2004.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Exit 7B opened on November 30, 2004. It had first been proposed in 1993.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead link</ref>

The Ohio Turnpike Commission had been hesitant to deploy an electronic tolling system, citing an apparent lack of commuter travel as well as significant implementation expenses. In December 2006, the commission indicated their intention to move forward with the implementation of an E-ZPass-compatible system as a "customer convenience".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The system was activated on October 1, 2009.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> With this, signs were added to differentiate between E-ZPass lanes and traditional staffed toll lanes, and gates were installed to prevent motorists from evading tolls or causing accidents.Template:Citation needed They also added support for debit cards and credit cards for customers without E-ZPass, becoming the first publicly owned toll road in the U.S. (second overall) to allow users to pay tolls with a debit or credit card.<ref name="debit"/>

On December 20, 2010, the Ohio Turnpike Commission voted to increase the speed limit of the Ohio Turnpike to 70 mph. Despite opposition from the Ohio Trucking Association, the increase was approved by the commission by a vote of 4–1<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and went into effect on April 1, 2011.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In July 2012, the way tickets were paid for was tweaked to deter truckers from trying to evade them, which had been an issue since the road opened. They also removed staffed toll lanes at the low-capacity interchanges.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Ken Blackwell, the defeated candidate in the 2006 Ohio gubernatorial election, had announced a plan for privatizing the turnpike, similar to plans enacted on the Chicago Skyway and Indiana Toll Road.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> In 2010 and 2011, Governor John Kasich stated that he would consider a turnpike lease, but only during a prosperous economic period.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In August 2011, Kasich stated his intention to create a task force to produce a leasing plan and also considered the option of reassigning the maintenance of the highway to the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Ultimately he decided against both, instead proposing to issue more debt under the renamed Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission, with cash tolls raised annually over a ten-year period to compensate.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

A project to add one lane in each direction from Toledo to Youngstown was started in 1996, using financing from increased tolls. It was originally projected to be finished in 2005, but was not completed until the end of the 2014 construction season.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In March 2019, the turnpike commission announced plans for a complete revamp of the toll barriers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The Westgate toll plaza was demolished and replaced with a new facility Template:Convert east of the original one with high-speed E-ZPass lanes, allowing E-ZPass users to travel through the toll areas at Template:Cvt; in addition, the Eastgate toll plaza was converted from a toll plaza that tolled in both directions with no express lanes into a westbound only plaza with the same Template:Cvt express E-ZPass lanes. Two additional mainline toll plazas were built at milepost 49 in Swanton Township (on the former site of the Oak Openings and Fallen Timbers service plazas) and at milepost 211 in Newton Falls, which became the new western and eastern ends of the ticket system, and tolls ceased to be collected at exits between each respective new barrier and the nearest existing toll plaza, creating a simplistic barrier toll system between those stretches.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The construction also features new patron dynamic message signs that provide drivers with dynamic messaging.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Part of the largest building program on the toll road since its original opening in 1955, the system was implemented on April 10, 2024.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Driver confusion over the system prompted the OTIC to create a 60-day toll grace period on August 13, 2024.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Ohio State Highway Patrol cited in a report that a series of fatal accidents at the Swanton barrier on August 15, 2024, were caused in part by this confusion, and the National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation into them.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web Investigation ID HWY24MH013.</ref>

Services

Commodore Perry Service Plaza

The Ohio Turnpike has had service plazas since its inception. Service plazas differ from typical freeway rest areas in that they offer amenities such as 24-hour food and fuel service; motorists do not have to pass through toll booths to re-fuel, use the restroom, or eat.

In 1998, the Ohio Turnpike Commission began modernizing the service plazas, first demolishing the original plazas and then reconstructing them from the ground up. Initially, the new plazas were rebranded by signage depicting them as "travel centers", but reverted to the original nomenclature.

In addition to modern restrooms, the new plazas offer several fast food choices, which vary between the plazas. They also include ATMs, gift shops, travel information counters, Wi-Fi internet access, and facilities for truck drivers, including shower facilities, lounge, and laundry areas. Sunoco fuel stations are provided at all service plazas along the Ohio Turnpike. The company signed a new contract to operate all 16 plazas on the Ohio Turnpike beginning in 2012.<ref name=maykuth>Template:Cite news</ref> Facilities for overnight RV campers are provided at the service plazas located at mile markers 20, 76, 139, and 197.<ref name=TPSP>Template:Cite web</ref>

Service plazas are located in pairs (one for each side of the turnpike) near mile markers 20, 76, 100, 139, 170, 197, and 237.

The Oak Openings and Fallen Timbers service plazas in Lucas County west of Toledo at mile marker 49 were the least utilized, so were closed and demolished; the Swanton toll barrier was later built at the site. A replacement pair of plazas had been planned to be built to the west in Fulton County,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=toledoblade>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=whatever>Template:Cite news</ref> but ultimately were not built. Due to the lack of a municipal water/sewer system, the Indian Meadow and Tiffin River service plazas located near mile marker 20 in Williams County were demolished in 2006,<ref name=toledoblade /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> though they were eventually rebuilt and reopened on June 29, 2011. The Glacier Hills and Mahoning Valley Service Plazas at mile 237 - also initially fated to be closed and demolished permanently - reopened in 2013.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Since the turnpike opened, the Ohio Turnpike Commission has contracted with the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) District 10 to provide law enforcement, as well as assistance to disabled or stranded motorists. The Patrol is the only law enforcement agency with jurisdiction on the turnpike. It monitors Citizen's Band channel 9 for distress calls.

Tolls

Standard Ohio Turnpike ticket, in this case for a Class 1 vehicle (two-axle car without trailer) entering at exit 218

Between the Swanton and Newton Falls toll barriers, the turnpike uses a ticket system, where tolls are based upon the distance traveled, as well as the height and axle-count of vehicle driven. Template:As of, the maximum toll for a 2-axle vehicle to travel the length of the closed toll portion is $13.25 for E-ZPass holders and $19.50 for non E-ZPass holders.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=interchanges-map /> The Westgate and Eastgate barriers charge flat rate tolls, with a toll being collected in both directions at Westgate and in the westbound direction only at Eastgate. There is no toll collection at exits between the Westgate and Swanton barriers, or between the Newton Falls and Eastgate barriers.

In April 2008, Governor Ted Strickland and legislative leaders announced a planned stimulus package that would redistribute Turnpike tolls to road projects throughout the state.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=pd20080405>Template:Cite news</ref> On May 23, the Ohio Senate Finance Committee voted to pass a new version of the package which would not involve tolls collected.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Exit list

Until 1998, the turnpike numbered exits sequentially, but afterwards started the process of renumbering them by the milepost system. This was done to "alleviate confusion from the irregular sequence of numerical references" due to recently added interchanges as well as to conform to federal standards.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The conversion ran from January 1998<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> to September 2002<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> with dually posted numbers during that period. Template:Jcttop Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:OHint Template:Jctbtm

External links

• Official site