The Ohio Department of Transportation recently hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of a newly redesigned interchange at Interstate 75 and County Road 99, located on the north side of Findlay, OH.
[Above photo by the Ohio DOT]
The $30.8 million project, which began in early 2024, built a diverging diamond interchange or DDI, along with a new bridge on the south side of the existing County Road 99 bridge, while rehabilitating the existing bridge as well.
“The two bridges are central to the function of a DDI,” said Chris Hughes, deputy director for Ohio DOT District 1, in a statement.
“Under traffic signal control, motorists wishing to enter the interstate from County Road 99 will travel onto the opposite, or left bridge, and proceed onto the interstate in a continuous motion. No more waiting for a break in traffic to turn left,” he explained. “The design is significantly safer and more efficient,” he said.
Compared to a traditional interchange, DDIs eliminate turns against oncoming traffic, eliminate traffic signal phases, reduce delays, are more efficient, and reduce overall crashes by an average of 37 percent and injury and fatal crashes by an average of 54 percent.
The interchange is the third DDI in northwest Ohio. The first in the region opened in 2021 at I- 475 and State Route 25 in Perrysburg, with crash statistics before and after interchange construction indicating that the design eliminated left-turn crashes. “We expect the same result here,” Hughes said.
Other state departments of transportation are also working on a variety of interstate improvements.
For example, the Kansas Department of Transportation recently hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the $27.5 million K-18/I-70 interchange improvement project, which is expected to wrap up in 2027.
The new flyover and extended ramps will help drivers maintain consistent speeds as they enter or exit K-18. Project upgrades will also accommodate freight, improve driving conditions, and more, noted Kansas DOT in a statement.
Accommodating such future increases in traffic volume is a priority, the agency stressed, as traffic is predicted to increase 35 to 40 percent in this area in the next 20 years.
Concurrently, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet just started work on a $50 million project to upgrade I-71 in Louisville; a two-year project that will increase capacity for the corridor from four lanes to six lanes, easing traffic congestion, increasing safety, and improving efficiency.
Meanwhile, the Michigan Department of Transportation recently completed a two-year $141 million project to rebuild approximately three miles of I-475 from the Flint River to Carpenter Road in Genesee County.
That project rebuilt the northbound and southbound lanes along that stretch of I-475 and repaired 19 structures along the corridor, which included building a new bridge over the Flint River.
The agency added that it plans to start work on a $270 million project to rebuild the middle and south segments of I-475 from the Flint River to Bristol Road is expected to begin in spring 2026
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