ODOT District 12 Unveils Northeast Ohio’s First Wrong Way Detection Corridor

ODOT District 12 Unveils Northeast Ohio's First Wrong Way Detection Corridor

(Tuesday, October 22, 2024)

Today ODOT officials unveiled northeast Ohio's first wrong way detection corridor. The system was constructed at 25 exit ramps on I-71/I-90 between W.154^th St. and E.140^th St in Cuyahoga County. Work began on this $3.2 million project in spring 2023 and was completed in October 2024.

This section of I-71/I-90 was selected based on a statewide analysis of wrong-way crashes that occurred between 2016 to 2019. That evaluation also considered the number of alcohol-related crashes that had occurred within a quarter mile of potential wrong way entry points, the number of bars and restaurants serving alcohol near the exit ramps, and the amount of traffic using the ramps. This corridor was selected with the intent of providing the most complete coverage to capture wrong-way entries onto the highway. While wrong way crashes made up only 0.01 percent of all crashes in Ohio last year, they are 40 times more likely to be deadly.

"This project marks an important milestone for improving safety in northeast Ohio by reducing wrong way crashes," said District 12 Deputy Director John Picuri "We also ask all motorist to not drink and drive, put down distractions, and move over for all vehicles with flashing lights to continue to reduce crashes on our roadways."

How does the system work? When a detector senses a vehicle traveling in the wrong direction on an exit ramp, it immediately triggers a pair of "WRONG WAY" signs with lighted borders that flash rapidly to alert drivers of their mistake. A second detector looks further down the ramp to determine if the vehicle has continued down the ramp, which triggers a second set of "DO NOT ENTER" and "WRONG WAY" signs, also with lighted borders, to flash rapidly. An alert is sent to the Ohio Department of Transportation Traffic Management Center in Columbus who notifies local law enforcement. Each installation has a camera that provides a short video clip that is received by ODOT's Traffic Management Center. This video can be reviewed to confirm whether the system was accurately triggered by a wrong way driver. Click HERE to see a video of the detection system in action and to download b-roll.

The first system of this kind was installed on an 18-mile stretch of I-71 between downtown Cincinnati to Fields-Ertel Road in Hamilton County. Since this system was deployed in the fall of 2019, ODOT has seen a significant reduction in wrong-way entry. The system has been triggered more than 50 times by wrong way drivers, verified by the system, and nearly all of them turned around before they entered the highway.

One stand-alone device currently exists in Cleveland on the exit from westbound SR 2 to West 28th Street.