Northern Ohio Truck Traffic Fact Sheet

August 11, 2004

Background:

The Ohio Turnpike is a very safe road with little or no congestion.  However, many trucks avoid the turnpike.  As a result, Ohio’s rural routes have experienced an influx of truck traffic, causing safety and congestion concerns. 

Truck Traffic:

• Truck traffic on Ohio’s Interstate highways grew 54 percent between 1994 and 2002;

• Truck traffic on the Ohio turnpike was relatively static during this period.

• Rural routes in northern Ohio have been inordinately impacted by truck traffic: 

Safety:

• By their nature, rural two-lane roads are less safe than rural freeways, with crash rates two to four times greater. 

• Many Northern Ohio roads have exceptionally high crash rates; of the ten-worst two-lane roads in Ohio, seven are routes in northern Ohio that trucks use to avoid the turnpike.

The Ohio Turnpike:

• Is a very safe road, with low accident rates.

• Has average volume of 9,400 trucks per day, much lower than Ohio’s other Interstate highways, which routinely average 15,000 trucks per day.

• Diverting trucks to the Ohio Turnpike will have no discernable impact on the turnpike’s traffic congestion.

Potential Incentives for More Trucks to Use the Turnpike:

• Increase truck speed limit to 65 miles per hour on the turnpike, and monitor for any negative impacts on traffic safety.

• Increase enforcement of truck weights on routes which parallel the Ohio Turnpike.

• On a trial basis, implement a toll reduction or rebate program, which guarantees debt quality for the turnpike’s bond holders, while providing a meaningful toll reduction to truckers.

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