CUYAHOGA CO., Ohio — Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Cleveland Police Department are conducting a three-day traffic enforcement operation along some of Cuyahoga County's busiest interstates.
Local police officers and state troopers are stationed along State Route 176, Interstate 90 and Interstate 480.
The agencies held a joint press conference Tuesday discussing the enforcement operation. Officers are working on motorcycles and in vehicles, watching for speeding drivers.
News 5's Caitlin Hunt attended the press conference and watched as troopers and Cleveland officers left the State Highway Patrol office in Brook Park to begin their patrols. Within minutes of entering the highway, the News 5 crew observed a motorcycle officer pulling over a vehicle.
Ohio State Highway Patrol said other local agencies will also participate in enforcement along the three interstates.
Earlier this month, OSHP and the Ohio Department of Transportation designated I-480, between State Route 176 and the Lorain County line, as the new safety corridor in Cuyahoga County. State Highway Patrol and ODOT selected a 14-mile stretch of I-480 as the safety corridor because of a high number of crashes along that route.
More than 100 citations have been issued along the corridor since it was established. OSHP said speeding is most common along the corridor between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Lieutenant Tim Hoffman with Ohio State Highway Patrol said the focus of the operation is safety, not citation numbers.
"The goal is clear: reduce speeds, reduce reckless driving, reduce distracted driving and get people to put their seat belts on," he said.
Both agencies said the message goes beyond these three days. They want drivers to continue to watch their speed and put away any distractions while driving.
