COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Transportation will be installing new technology to detect traffic congestion and warn drivers of slow-downs.
The new warning systems will be installed at 13 highway sites that have been identified by ODOT as high-congestion, high-crash areas.
When cameras at the sites detect slow or stopped traffic, they will automatically trigger a message board a few miles away to alert drivers of the slowed-down traffic.
"As technology continues to evolve, we're always looking for new ways to help prevent serious and fatal crashes on our highways," said Governor Mike DeWine. "Although we're confident that these warning systems will help prevent crashes, there is still no substitute for safe driving. For these signs to be effective, drivers must be paying attention."
The primary goal of the signs is to reduce rear-end crashes. According to ODOT, those types of crashes have increased over the past three years to 8,811 crashes in 2023. Once the technology is installed at all 13 sites, ODOT believes it will reduce rear-end crashes by 16%, or about 1,400 crashes.
The first traffic warning system was installed on Interstate 70 westbound at state Route 310 in Licking County, the site of where a semitrailer rear-ended a charter bus and killed six people.
Six of the 13 signs will be installed around central Ohio.
Franklin County:
- I-70 EB before U.S. 33
- I-670 EB before SR-315
- SR-315 SB before Kinnear Road
- I-270 SB before Refugree Road/ramp to U.S. 33
- I-71 SB before N. Broadway/Cooke Rd.
Licking County:
- I-70 WB at SR-310
ODOT expects all of the systems to be operational within the next two years. The agency is evaluating highway locations in other parts of the state that could benefit from the new technology.