CUYAHOGA COUNTY, Ohio — The number of crashes in the work zone of Interstate 90 in Cuyahoga County continues to increase.
In a joint press conference from the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Ohio Department of Transportation, the agencies said there have been 27 crashes this year along I-90 in Rocky River, Lakewood and Cleveland. ODOT is currently completing a $173 million reconstruction project along this stretch of road.
At the press conference, the agencies said these crashes were commonly caused by three things: speeding, following too closely, and improper lane changes.
News 5 Transportation Reporter Caitlin Hunt found there was a little more to this statistic.
I-90 CRASH STATISTICS
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Interstate 90 has the highest number of crashes in Cuyahoga County, whether there is a construction zone or not. When compared to other interstates in the state, it ranks number three for crashes.
When construction ramped up, so did the number of crashes.
Data from the OSHP's work zone dashboard shows there were 115 overall crashes on I-90 in September 2024. Six of those crashes happened in a work zone. In September 2025, the number of crashes dropped to 105, but work zone crashes climbed to 10. The work zone crashes still made up 10% of all crashes that month.
Lieutenant Tim Hoffman with the Ohio State Highway Patrol said the increase started when ODOT reduced the number of lanes on I-90 eastbound.
"When you take that down to two lanes or even one lane," he said. "It's a recipe for slowdowns, and it's a recipe for crashes."
Hoffman said most of these crashes happened during the morning and evening rush hour.
WHERE ARE THE CRASHES HAPPENING?
Hunt requested public records from the three cities affected by the rehabilitation project: Rocky River, Lakewood and Cleveland. According to the crash reports, police in all three cities are responding to more crashes.
The crash report also revealed where these crashes are happening. The data shows 19 crashes happened near West 140th Street so far this year, which is the highest concentration of crashes along the work zone.
West 117th Street had the second highest amount so far this year with 17 crashes.
WHAT IS ODOT AND OSHP DOING?
ODOT and OSHP said they are adding more message boards and signs to improve driver awareness in the work zone.
"We are always looking to better inform the public," ODOT District 12 Spokesperson Brent Kovacs said. "If we can add an additional message board, we can add additional signs, different things to improve the attention of the work zone."
The primary cause of these crashes are drivers.
ODOT and OSHP said most of the crashes came from distracted driving or people being in a hurry.
"Motorists are used to driving this road with no construction on it for decades before where we are today with a construction zone on it," Kovacs said. "They have to pay attention because things are different."
OSHP said troopers will be doing more patrols along the highway during both the morning and evening rush to remind drivers to slow down.
