In an effort to provide an upgraded highway that will alleviate congestion and improve safety, Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) crews are performing a major reconstruction of I-90 in Lorain County. The $116 million project calls for complete pavement replacement and the addition of one lane in each direction from the merge/diverge with State Route 2 to the State Route 611 interchange.
"The original pavement was constructed in the late 1960s and early 1970s and was designed for an average daily traffic [ADT] of 33,060," Matt Walter, ODOT District 3 capital programs administrator, told Construction Equipment Guide. "It was constructed with a 10-inch concrete surface course, and over time, the concrete has deteriorated and has reached the end of its surface life.
"Through the years, ODOT has performed maintenance work, including several joint repair projects, that have functioned well for many years. However, the cost for these smaller repair projects continues to increase as we work to keep the pavement in a condition suitable for motorists. Additionally, the current ADT is now more than 60,000, which is nearly double the amount the roadway was originally designed for."
The project is located in Elyria Township, the city of Elyria, the village of Sheffield and the city of Avon. During project development it was determined that another lane is needed to meet the current design standards based on today's ADT.
"We decided it made sense to add the third lane at the time of major reconstruction," said Walter. "This busy section of I-90 is the last section to be widened to three lanes from the Ohio Turnpike connection to the city of Cleveland. This project will not only add capacity to accommodate increasing traffic volumes on the I-90 corridor but will also improve safety for motorists."
The new lanes will be constructed in the existing median of I-90. Construction involves some bridge work; however, several of the I-90 bridges over the Black River, railroad lines and local roads have already been widened to accommodate an additional travel lane and will require only re-striping to match the widened highway.
The project limits on I-90 will stretch approximately 8 mi., from the Ohio Turnpike toll booth to the existing 6-lane section at the SR 611 interchange. The section between the Ohio Turnpike toll booth to SR 2 will be repaved but will remain a four-lane roadway.
The work includes upgrades to other components of the original infrastructure along the corridor as well. Drainage, guardrail, signs, highway lighting and right-of- way fence will all be upgraded, and noise barriers will be constructed adjacent to residential neighborhoods in the area.
Construction began in June 2025, and should be completed by summer 2028. According to ODOT, 2026 work focuses on major pavement reconstruction work along I-90 westbound, as well as complete median widening from SR 254 to SR 57 and scheduled traffic pattern changes that will shift traffic onto the outside shoulder and onto the eastbound lanes of I-90. Traffic will be maintained using a portable concrete barrier wall. Temporary ramp modifications and closures will be scheduled throughout the year.
Complete pavement replacement requires a great deal of work and continues to have a significant impact on traffic, with a lot of material going in and out of the project. Currently, there is activity taking place throughout the entire area, including drainage, earthwork, subgrade stabilization and asphalt paving.
Kokosing serves as the general contractor and was able to get a head start to the 2026 season by performing drainage work during the winter months. ODOT District 3 project engineer Brian Rawlings explained to Construction Equipment Guide why Kokosing is a good fit.
"Kokosing has ample resources available to complete a project of this size, and they are able to work in accordance with the contract schedule. They perform high quality work and have a professional project management and design team."
As for ongoing construction challenges, Rawlings said the elements are always a concern on projects of this size and complexity.
"Many of the work items are weather dependent, including, but not limited to, earthwork and asphalt paving. There's a short construction season to get a large volume of work completed before winter weather sets in.
"The dry weather at the end of last season was great, and allowed a lot of work to be completed, but that's now being balanced by a wet spring and the challenges associated with trying to complete earthwork early in the season. The contractor has done a great job taking advantage of stretches of good weather to efficiently complete work and move the project forward."
Maintaining traffic also can be a headache for crews.
"There are approximately 66,000 vehicles per day that travel through the project," said Rawlings. "Coordinating the various phases of construction, lane closures and ramp closures is a significant challenge for the project team.
"It's important to balance the ability for motorists to safely travel through the project while also performing the construction work safely and efficiently, within the timeframe allotted for the project."
Pavement for the addition of a third lane has already been completed from just east of Ford Road to SR 611. Temporary pavement has been constructed for crossovers that will be used to maintain traffic in upcoming phases this season and in 2027/2028. New drainage infrastructure has been installed in the median from SR 57 to French Creek.
Drainage work is continuing west of SR 57 to the IR-90/SR-2 split. Subgrade stabilization work is taking place from Ford Road to the IR-90/SR-2 split, while grading, seeding and guardrail work is under way in the median from just west of SR 254 to French Creek. Pavement markings are being installed for an upcoming traffic switch to start the next phase of construction.
Pavement reconstruction work along I-90 westbound involves removing the existing pavement, performing earthwork, stabilizing the subgrade, installing the limestone aggregate base, placing the base and carrying out intermediate and surface course asphalt pavement.
Median widening from SR 254 to SR 57 includes replacing the existing storm drainage, earthwork to grade the existing median to accommodate the widened pavement, stabilizing the subgrade, installing limestone aggregate base and asphalt paving.
The portable concrete barrier wall consists of precast concrete wall segments that are 12 ft. long. They are transported to the project with trucks and placed with an excavator.
The project involves 173,000 cu. yds. of excavation and 43,000 cu. yds. of embankment. Total estimated earthwork is 216,000 cu. yds.
Heavy equipment on the job includes excavators, bulldozers, graders, loaders, rollers, asphalt pavers and dump trucks. Chief materials include asphalt, concrete, limestone aggregate, cement, precast concrete drainage structures, precast concrete noise wall panels, polyethylene pipe, concrete pipe and corrugated metal pipe.
Many tasks remain, as the project is still fairly early in construction. Drainage, earthwork, noise wall construction and thousands of tons of asphalt will be placed before the project is finished.
When asked by Construction Equipment Guide about carrying out such a time-consuming undertaking, ODOT District 3 planning engineer Scott Ockunzzi said, "It's very rewarding to see progress after years of planning and preparation. ODOT has spent a lot of time performing emergency pavement repairs and has had some construction contracts for pavement repairs as well, so it will be great to not have to do that for a long time." CEG
