COVENTRY TWP.: The Ohio Department of Transportation wants Akron-area motorists to “Do the Detour.”
No, it’s not a new dance craze.
It’s a warning.
With the state agency planning about $500 million worth of local highway projects over the next five years, ODOT’s District 4 in Coventry Township released its new Akron-area catchphrase Thursday.
The slogan is designed to get people prepared for the slew of traffic pattern changes and highway construction zones that they will soon encounter.
The “Do the Detour” slogan isn’t a first for ODOT. The state agency has been pushing “Opt for the Alt” in Cleveland because of highway construction there.
ODOT also unveiled a new website — http://transportation.ohio.gov/dothedetour — that provides specific details about the numerous changes coming to the Kenmore leg of Interstate 76 and interchange of Interstate 77 and Interstate 277/U.S. Route 224.
Some areas are expanding from two lanes to three. Others are shrinking from two lanes to one. And in some areas, there will be four lanes.
Other projects will be added to the site as construction begins.
“Pay attention. Stay alert. This is a big pattern adjustment,” ODOT spokesman Justin Chesnic said about the Kenmore project.
Workers are expected to begin re-striping the Kenmore leg this weekend, turning the highway from two lanes into three in each direction.
The westbound lanes — which actually run south — are expected to be closed from 7 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Monday for the striping work. That work, though, is weather dependent and ODOT may call off the closure because of potential rain.
The state agency previously had announced that the westbound section of Interstate 76/77 from the central interchange to state Route 59 would be closed during the same time period.
That means westbound I-76 from the central interchange to I-76/I-277 is expected to be closed.
The eastbound section of the Kenmore leg — which runs north — likely will be shut down the week after the Memorial Day weekend. That closure also is dependent on the weather.
Motorists who have driven the Kenmore leg for years may have trouble adjusting to the three lanes. There will be only 2 feet of berm on either side of the highway and ODOT is aware that it could cause problems if a vehicle breaks down there.
ODOT is re-striping the Kenmore leg, which runs through Akron’s Kenmore neighborhood, so that it can carry more vehicles as other highways are shut down. It’s expected to serve as an important detour route.
About 55,000 vehicles use the Kenmore leg each day now.
In addition to the Kenmore project and I-77 and I-277/Route 224 interchange projects, ODOT has major construction projects planned on I-76/77 at the South Main Street/South Broadway interchange and bridges over Johnston Street.
The state agency also plans to replace the North Expressway Viaduct bridge that carries state Route 8 over several railroads, East North Street and the Little Cuyahoga River beginning in 2021.
Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study interim Director Curtis Baker said local leaders have been seeking the highway work for years to improve safety for local motorists.
It just so happens that it’s all coming at the same time and the work will cause an inconvenience seemingly wherever motorists turn.
“It’s the reality of having an infrastructure system that was all built within a period 10 to 15 years that is coming to the end of its useful life,” Baker said. “These things have to happen. In this fiscal climate, when the funding lines up the way it needs to line up, you go. You do it.”
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @armonrickABJ.