Ohio Turnpike

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Ohio Turnpike
James W. Schocknessy Ohio Turnpike Maintained by Ohio Turnpike Commission
Length:	241.26 mi (388.3 km)
Formed:	October 1, 1955[1]
West end:	I-80/90/Indiana Toll Road at the Indiana-Ohio border
Major junctions:	I-75 near Toledo I-90 near Lorain I-480 near North Ridgeville I-71 near Cleveland I-77 near Akron I-480 near Streetsboro I-76/I-80 near Youngstown
East end:	I-76/Pennsylvania Turnpike at the Ohio-Pennsylvania border

The westbound Ohio Turnpike

The Ohio Turnpike (officially the James W. Shocknessy Ohio Turnpike) is a 241.26 mi (388.27 km)-long, limited-access toll highway in the U.S. state of Ohio, serving as a primary corridor to Chicago and Pittsburgh. The road runs east-west in the northern section of the state, from the Indiana Toll Road (at the Indiana-Ohio border near Bryan) to the Pennsylvania Turnpike (at the Ohio-Pennsylvania border near Petersburg).

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

The road is owned and maintained by the Ohio Turnpike Commission, headquartered in Berea.

[edit] History

The Ohio General Assembly authorized the formation of the Ohio Turnpike Commission in 1949. The turnpike is named after the first chairman of the commission, James W. Shocknessy. Construction for the road cost $326 million and was recorded the biggest project in state history, with 10,000 employers, more than 2,300 bulldozers, graders, loaders and other machines over a 38-month period.^[1][2]

On December 1, 1954, the first 22-mile stretch (the portion lying east of State Route 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 October 1, 1955.^[3]

Originally, the turnpike offered 17 access points. Since then, more access points have been provided, bringing the total number to 31.^[2]

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

[edit] Service Plazas

Typical modernized 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, which means motorists do not have to pay the toll to exit, then re-enter when they have to re-fuel or stop to eat.

Beginning in 1998, The Ohio Turnpike Commission began modernizing its service plazas, first demolishing the original plazas and then reconstructing them from the ground-up. 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. A fueling station is provided at each plaza. Facilities for overnight RV campers are provided at the service plazas located at mile markers 76, 139, and 197.^[4]

Service plazas are located in pairs (one for each side of the turnpike) near mile markers 49, 76, 100, 139, 170, 197, and 237. Presently, the service plazas located at mile markers 49 and 237 haven't been modernized, and utilize the original buildings that opened with the turnpike in the 1950s.

The service plazas located in Lucas County west of Toledo at mile marker 49 are the least utilized. The Ohio Turnpike Commission envisions the eventual demolition of these service plazas, and construction of new plazas between mile markers 20 and 49; the new facility will most likely be located in Fulton County.^[5][6]

Due to the lack of a municipal water/sewer system, the service plazas located near mile marker 20 in Williams County were permanently demolished in 2006.^[7][6]

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

[edit] Law enforcement

Since the turnpike opened, the Ohio Turnpike Commission has contracted with the Ohio State Highway Patrol (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.

[edit] Truck speed limit

In September 2004, the speed limit for heavy trucks was raised to 65 mph (105 km/h), creating a uniform speed limit for all traffic. For years, trucks had avoided the turnpike due to large toll increases in the 1990s, and because they could travel for free at the same speed on parallel highways such as State Route 2 and US 20. Truck traffic clogged the downtown shopping areas of US 20 towns such as Bellevue and Clyde, essentially driving away customers who didn't want to deal with the truck traffic; shopkeepers begged the state for relief for years.

Eventually, after prodding by Governor Bob Taft, the Ohio Turnpike Commission lowered truck tolls and implemented the uniform 65-mph speed limit on September 8, 2004.^[8] Truck traffic levels on the turnpike are estimated to be 20% higher since the change was made. The turnpike's 65-mph truck speed limit is unique in Ohio, as a 55-mph statutory speed limit applies to trucks on every other highway in the state.

[edit] Proposed leasing

Turnpike Westbound at SR 61, Berlin Heights

Ken Blackwell, the defeated candidate in the 2006 Ohio governor's race, had announced a plan for privatizing the turnpike, similar to plans enacted in Illinois and Indiana.^{[9][10][11][12]}

[edit] Toll structure

Tolls are based upon the distance traveled, as well as the type and weight of vehicle driven. As of January 2007, the toll for a typical non-commercial passenger vehicle to travel the entire turnpike is $10.25.^[13]

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".^[14] The system is expected to be fully functional by September 2009.^[15][16][17]

[edit] Toll funds diversion

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.^[18][17][19] On May 23, the Ohio Senate Finance Committee voted to pass a new version of the package which would not involve tolls collected.^[20]

[edit] Emergency Assistance

Cellular callers may dial *990 in emergencies.

[edit] Exit list

County	Location[21][22]	Mile	#	Destinations[23][24][25]	Notes
I-80 and I-90 continue into Indiana as the Indiana Toll Road
Williams	Northwest Twp.	2.0		SR 49	Diamond interchange with no ramp tolls. Motorists entering the Turnpike eastbound will immediately stop at the Westgate barrier. Those entering westbound will travel toll-free to the Indiana state line, then obtain a toll ticket at the Indiana Toll Road Eastpoint barrier.
	Northwest Twp.	2.7	2	Westgate Toll Barrier	Prior to completion of the Indiana Toll Road, turnpike traffic emptied onto US 20 via a short access road just west of the toll barrier. This access road is still visible.
	Jefferson Twp.	13.5	13	SR 15 - Bryan, Montpelier	Formerly Exit 2
Fulton	Franklin Twp.	25.6	25	SR 66 - Archbold, Fayette
	Dover Twp.	34.9	34	SR 108 - Wauseon	Formerly Exit 3
	Pike Twp.	39.8	39	SR 109 - Delta, Lyons
Lucas	Monclova Twp.	52.6	52	SR 2 - Toledo Airport, Swanton
	Maumee	59.5	59	US 20 - Maumee, Toledo	Formerly Exit 4; to I-475 and US 23.
Wood	Perrysburg	64.9	64	I-75 - Perrysburg, Toledo
	Lake Twp.	71.7	71	I-280/SR 420 - Stony Ridge, Toledo	Formerly Exit 5
Ottawa	Harris Twp.	81.8	81	SR 51 - Elmore, Woodville, Gibsonburg
Sandusky	Sandusky Twp.	91.6	91	SR 53 - Fremont, Port Clinton	Formerly Exit 6
Erie	Groton Twp.	110.2	110	SR 4 - Sandusky, Bellevue
	Milan Twp.	118.5	118	US 250 - Sandusky, Norwalk	Formerly Exit 7
Lorain	Brownhelm Twp.	135.9	135	Baumhart Road - Vermilion
	Amherst	140.6	140	SR 58 - Amherst, Oberlin
	Eastern terminus of I-80/ I-90 concurrency
	Elyria Twp.	142.8	142	I-90/SR 2 - Lorain County West	Formerly Exit 8A; eastbound exit, westbound entrance.
	Elyria	145.8	145	SR 57 - Lorain, Elyria	Formerly Exit 8
	North Ridgeville	151.8	151	I-480 - North Ridgeville, Cleveland	Eastbound exit, westbound entrance.
		152.2	152	SR 10 - North Olmsted, Cleveland	Formerly Exit 9
Cuyahoga	Strongsville	161.8	161	I-71/US 42 - Strongsville, Cleveland	Formerly Exit 10
Summit	Richfield	173.2	173	I-77/SR 21 - Cleveland	Formerly Exit 11
	Boston Heights	180.3	180	SR 8 - Akron	Formerly Exit 12
Portage	Streetsboro	187.2	187	- I-480/SR 14 - Streetsboro	Formerly Exit 13
	Shalersville Twp.	193.9	193	SR 44 - Ravenna
Trumbull	Braceville Twp.	209.2	209	SR 5 - Warren	Formerly Exit 14
	Lordstown	215.0	215	Ellsworth-Bailey Road - Lordstown West	Eastbound exit, westbound entrance.
		216.4	216	Hallock-Young Road - Lordstown East	Westbound exit, eastbound entrance.
Mahoning	North Jackson	218.7	218	I-76, I-80, County Route 18 - Niles, Youngstown	Formerly Exit 15; I-76 exits westbound and enters eastbound. I-80 exits eastbound and enters westbound. Toll road transfers from I-80 to I-76.
	Beaver Twp.	232.9	232	SR 7 - Youngstown	Formerly Exit 16
		234.1	234	I-680 - Youngstown, Poland	Formerly Exit 16A; westbound exit, eastbound entrance.
	Springfield Twp.	239.0	239	Eastgate Toll Barrier
I-76 continues east into Pennsylvania as the Pennsylvania Turnpike

[edit] See also

• Interstate 76 in Ohio
• Interstate 80 in Ohio
• Interstate 90 in Ohio

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Ohio Turnpike

• Official website