LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio — While the Ohio Department of Transportation continues a reconstruction project on Interstate 90 in Lorain County, the department is adding more signage to direct drivers on where they need to be.
Right now, ODOT is focused on reconstructing the westbound lanes of I-90 between the State Route 2 split and State Route 611. Crews have reconfigured this stretch of road into two separate paths. Drivers who are traveling through the work zone can keep to the left. Anyone needing to exit at State Route 611, 254, or 57 will need to keep to the right lane.
ODOT said there has been a recent increase in crashes in the work zone. Drivers have been trying to pass one another when the roadway opened for an entrance ramp.
Local law enforcement also told ODOT that drivers were confused about which way to merge.
ODOT said it will add more signage to help drivers in the work zone. Merge signs will be added on the entrance ramps. Signs reading "Stay in line" will be added to the main road. Crews have also added pavement markings and extended some of the solid white lines. The markings help distinguish the main interstate from the entrance ramps.
Still, ODOT said drivers will need to do their part to keep the work zone safe.
"A lot of these crashes are avoidable," Crystal Neelon, a spokesperson with ODOT District 3, said. "These crashes are occurring because we're seeing a lot of motorists speeding through the work zone or following too closely to the vehicle in front of them, not giving themselves enough time to stop if they need to stop."
ODOT said construction started on this portion of the interstate in the summer of 2025. Once completed, the project will help ease congestion, add lanes and also replace pavement. The project is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2028.
The current configuration will be in place until November. Crews will then open the interstate to two lanes in each direction for the winter. In the spring, work will begin on the eastbound side of the interstate.
In the meantime, ODOT will close the I-90 westbound exit ramp to State Route 254 on Sunday, August 9 for two weeks.
