Delayed Ohio Turnpike Work Creates Rest Area Jams

Chronic construction on the Ohio Turnpike is creating long lines at rest stops for trucks and passenger vehicles alike, and delays in the roadwork mean no relief anytime soon.

Work on the $1.3 billion renovation was supposed to be completed by the end of 2001, but officials said it will take until 2004 to finish the construction projects.

The 241-mile road is undergoing the modernization that includes adding a third lane in each direction between Youngstown and Toledo, new interchanges and 16 rest areas with food courts, restaurants and expanded parking.

While the work is underway at rest areas, truckers are left with long lines for rest rooms, food and fuel as well as no place to park to rest.

Trucker George Perry of Toledo said rigs are sometimes backed up on entrance ramps nearly to the turnpike. He questioned the wisdom of a commission that charges tolls, "but we can’t even get in here and go to the bathroom."

"What else is new?" asked John Fox, the fleet operations manager for Motor Carrier Services in Northwood, Ohio. "This happens every summer with the construction and the crowds. It’s a nightmare on holiday weekends."

Closures of some service plazas have led to gaps of up to 60 miles between stops, without signs to let drivers know. The State Highway Patrol said the situation is making more people turn to urinating alongside the roadway – particularly families with young children.

Delays in steel deliveries, a shortage of skilled workers for subcontractors and a decision by the Ohio Turnpike Commission to take on the role of general contractor are to blame, said Alan Plain, the commission’s executive director.

The commission thought it would save money by being the general contractor for the project, but it became bogged down by the task and spent more than it expected, he said.

"Instead of dealing with one person, you’re dealing with 30 separate contractors," Plain said. "This was very cumbersome and made it very difficult."

Gino Zomparelli, the commission’s general counsel, said the decision to act as general contractor was a sound one, but the remaining service plaza renovations will be handled differently.

The commission plans to group smaller projects into single bids, reducing the number of contractors to seven or eight. One contractor could bid on all the jobs, effectively replacing the commission as the general contractor, Zomparelli said.

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